The Master and The Wolf
by Gatsby
Summary: Three years after Doomsday, Rose has adjusted to her new universe somewhat as the Defender of the Earth. But her whole life is turned upside down when Torchwood finds an abandoned Tardis in the Thundra. And just who is this Harry Saxon trying to woo her?
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Rose Tyler blew on her coffee, a task she found pointless considering she was in the Tundra. She ought to be drinking the coffee from the moment it was handed to her, letting the liquid warm her freezing body even if it might mean scarring her throat from the heat. The Tundra was just too damned cold, the cold seeped through all the layers she put on, through the tiny holes of the nylon and wool fibres of her winter clothing.

Rose held the black liquid in the Styrofoam cup almost irreverently. In this cold wasteland, coffee was the only simple pleasure she afforded herself. A hot cup of coffee, and she was able to tune out the white surroundings, black sky, the cold harsh winds that was intent on tearing into their equipment and the whine of the saw and drill as her team tried to hack though the ice to get to the alien probe or ship or whatever it was that was sending out the distress call.

Rose sighed. She could see from the corner of her eye Mickey shuffling towards her in the snow, probably hoping for a sip of her coffee.

Fat chance. Day 23 in the Tundra, coffee was a scarce commodity; the last thing she'd want to do was to share her coffee.

"How are you holding up, babe?"

"You're not getting any of my coffee, Mickey." Rose spun away from him to stare into endless white space.

"Aww, come on. Just one sip? Please, Rose?"

Rose took a sip from her coffee and was disappointed. The liquid was lukewarm. She allowed her coffee to cool down so much. But she was not about to let Mickey know that. Rose closed her eyes and continued to drink the coffee, sipping the coffee and savouring every drop.

"Hmm!" she intoned breathily. "So good!"

She opened her eyes in time to see that Mickey was about to play shove her. She jumped away from him, careful not to spill her coffee.

"Hey!" Rose protested good-naturedly.

"That's for teasing me," Mickey mock-warned, folding his arms on his chest with a self-satisfied smirk. Rose grinned, the way she always did, tongue between her teeth. But the grin lessened and it was all-business again. Rose was field leader now; she couldn't afford to fool around as much.

Rose turned her attention to her team who was busy sawing and hacking through the ice.

"How's it going?" she asked Mickey.

Mickey moved awkwardly underneath all the thick clothing, she could barely see the upward movement of his shoulders as he shrugged. He sort of reminded her of the Michelin man. "Same as always," Mickey sighed. "You would think that aliens would find a less cold place to land. Or under less ice."

"Somewhere in the Tropics maybe?" Rose teased.

"Yeah, on the beach. Where there's beautiful ladies."

"They wouldn't be under much distress there, would they?" Rose finished the last of her coffee. She was starting to get antsy with being out here. First the tea ran out, and then the coffee. The excavation was taking far too long for her liking. There was every possibility that the distress call was a trap and it could be some hairy, scary alien about to suck all their brains out.

There was a shout and the sound of drilling that Rose has been accustomed to for the past three weeks stopped. Rose could see Jake running towards the two of them, and Rose had to stifle a giggle, seeing Jake covered in flakes of ice.

"They've chipped off enough of the ice. We can use low level explosives to take out the remaining ice." Jake reported.

"Are you sure it won't damage the probe or spaceship or whatever it is giving that distress call?" Rose asked.

Jake cocked an eyebrow and gave Rose an exasperated huff.

Rose grinned but the humor did not reach her eyes. She put up her hands in defense. "Just checking."

"We should be prepared," Jake continued.

Rose and Mickey exchanged a look of understanding. Mickey reached for his gun, strapped to his Michelin outfit. One can never be too sure.

Rose remembered with a slight pang: the Doctor would have disapproved of Mickey and his guns. Or hers for that matter. But Rose nodded at Mickey and the three readied their weapons. The three of them headed towards where the rest of the field operatives worked.

Out of respect and intimidation of the Rose Tyler, the field agents backed off a bit and kept silent waiting for her go ahead.

"Ten quid it's an alien who we've never seen before and will probably want to eat us," Mickey said to Jake. From the corner of her eye, Rose could see her newer field operatives look a little nervous, unused to gallows humour.

Jake grinned. "Only one way to find out."

There was steel in Rose's gaze at the ice. She nodded imperceptibly. James, one of the field operatives specializing in bombs, pressed the detonator. The explosion was loud and the roar of the ice crumbling was deafening. The wind from the explosion battered against the Torchwood team. Rose was tense , she was on guard, ready in case of anything.

As the cacophony died down, what remained was the eerie silence that came after any explosion and an ice cave created inside the ice. And then there it was, the alien probe that had been sending the distress calls, picked up by Torchwood a few weeks back.

There in the centre stood a battered, blue Police Box, standing tall and proud not at all strangely as though it was meant to have been there, in the icy plains of the Tundra.

It was as though someone punched Rose in the gut. Somewhere through the haze of pain and distress she could feel Mickey put a hand on her shoulder. But her gaze never left the blue box.

"Blimey," Jake breathed out finally. "It's a Tardis! What's that doing here?"


	2. Chapter 1: When Harry Met Rose

"Rose, Mr. Tyler to see you."

Rose winced but tried to hide her displeasure from Pete Tyler's secretary. She gave her a smile but his secretary shot a warning look. Norma had been less than pleased with her recently, especially more so when Rose conveniently disappeared whenever Pete was looking for her.

It was not that she could help it. Ever since Dad started to dabble a bit in politics, her inbox has started to overflow and her phone had not stopped ringing. All those interviews, the loving daughter of Pete Tyler, ready to take on her father's work as her father began his journey in politics, all that shoulder rubbing… it was doing her head in.

That was why she had accidentally knocked her phone off the hook today and well, not bothered to check her inbox. And was playing Solitaire with her headphones on. In the pantry.

But unfortunately, the game was up. Norma's demeanour was icy but no less victorious having found the elusive Rose Tyler. With a sigh, Rose Tyler rose like a petulant child from her workstation and dragged her feet to the elevator following Norma.

"What does Dad want this time?" Rose finally ventured to ask on the way up.

"Did you not read your email?" Norma retorted.

Rose gave Norma a withering smile. "I've been busy today, aliens, cataloguing aliens, saving the world. That sort of thing."

"Saving the world with Solitaire." Norma shot back testily. "You were just avoiding your father."

Rose couldn't help herself. She rolled her eyes. "Dad's been wanting me to do something for him for the past month now, all this socializing for politics and funding! I wish he'd get over this fetish soon enough."

Norma shot Rose a look of disapproval. Although, Rose wondered when did Norma ever give her a look other than disapproval? Rose imagined her entire family album was pretty much made up of Norma casting disapproval glances to the camera. She was about to voice her thoughts to Norma when the elevator dinged and the doors opened, directly into Pete's office.

Norma walked out, no, she marched out. Rose wondered if she could convince her dad that this prim and proper lady was what she needed out in the field. One hint of a disapproval from this woman and most hostile aliens would be begging to go back home.

"Mr. Tyler, Rose Tyler to see you."

Rose could see Pete Tyler working hard at his PC terminal, his tie loosened and his jacket thrown on the chair. The desk was a mess with papers stacked everywhere. Pete looked up and his face brightened considerably.

"Norma! You found Rose! We tried to find you the whole day. Were you busy?"

Rose and Norma exchanged a look. Pete Tyler was probably one of the smartest human beings Rose knew but there were occasions where Rose had to remind herself that this was the head of Torchwood and the creator of Vitex.

"I was a little." Rose lied smoothly.

Pete got up from his desk, knocking over the papers onto the floor. Norma's eyebrow twitched a little, Rose knew she was dying to head over and clean up her boss' desk but remained standing next to Rose out of decorum.

"Norma, get Rose a cuppa, will you?" Pete asked barely noticing the mess he was making. He walked to Rose and grabbed Rose's hands and half-pulled her to the white board next to his desk.

"Isn't this amazing?" Pete had his hands on his hips, a bit too girly a pose for her dad, Rose thought. Pete had a self-satisfied grin on his face. "Remember the XX Project I was telling you about?"

Rose stared at whiteboard in front of her trying desperately to remember the Project Pete Tyler was talking about. There were reasons why she did leave school in her other life (aside from Jimmy Stones of course), the smooth white plane of the board made her eyes glaze over and the desire to make paper airplanes and write 'Rose Tyler Smith' on the margins of her notebook seized her again. Pinching herself, Rose focused to look at the writings.

It was a complicated mess of writings, numbers and formulas that Rose could not decipher. She looked at her dad with a little look of confusion.

"Is these normal maths?"

Pete gave her an exasperated look, the same look he gave her when she announced she had decided to read English Literature in uni as opposed to Physics. If it were not for the endless arguments that ensued later on why the Sciences would suit Torchwood better, Rose would have been proud and touched on how quickly Pete Tyler assumed fatherhood.

"Yes," Pete Tyler nodded. "Incredibly advanced they are. This was done all under an hour."

An hour? "Blimey!" Rose breathed out. Rose looked at the complex equations. The last time she had seen such complex equations done almost as quickly was when she was traveling with the Doctor. The thought brought a smile to her face. Why, even the funny circular scribbles next to reminded her of-

The door opened and a baritone spoke out suddenly. "I think I've got it, Pete."

Rose jumped at the voice and turned to see a handsome man walk into the room holding a mug in his hand. A little scruffy without his tie and his top button left unbuttoned. Blonde, she noticed. Tall. Despite the smile on his face, Rose knew that this was a man unused to smiling despite the grin on his face. The grin disappeared when he saw Rose in the room, his face registering surprise.

"Oh! I'm sorry," he said looking at Rose Tyler. "I was not aware you had company."

The man had a gaze that was hypnotic. Rose felt herself going under but the moment was broken when Pete cheerfully interrupted them.

"Ah! Harold, meet my daughter, Rose Tyler. Head of R&D at Vitex. Rose, this is Harold Saxon, one of the world's most renowned physicists."

Pete had on his face, a smile, a knowing smile that she had seen only once or twice on the old man's face. More often than not, she had seen that look on her mum's face – especially when she was matchmaking her daughter with some socialite's son she had met who her mum was sure was a 'lovely young lad, would suit you well Rose if you were not mooning over the Doctor'.

'Harold, I'm sure you've heard of my daughter. She's currently the Senior Vice President, smart girl she is. Introduced Vitex Lite, I mean I wouldn't have dreamed that people wanted zero calories in their energy drinks, it pushed up profits by 20 percent the year it was introduced. And Harold, I'm sure you've seen the latest adverts right? Rose's ideas, that was.'

"Dad!" Rose hissed. But Pete did not seem to notice. It sounded like he was selling her.

But Harold Saxon heard her and he visibly stiffened. Rose instantly felt bad and smiled at him, to reassure that it was not Harold Saxon she was annoyed with, but it was her dad, who brought her up here to..to. God, what was he up to? It can't be about work, he would not have introduced her as Vitex if that was the case. It must be for-

"I just wanted to introduce the two of you." Pete's voice trailed away, in his vain attempts to fade away and let the two of them, be. "Harold here is into the arts you know."

She was right. It was to set her up. So Dad was listening when Mum nattered on and on about how Rose was no longer seeing anyone. The last time she was over at dinner, it was a complete disaster. Jackie was giving her the third degree for not dating or moving on from the Doctor and was harder on Pete for giving Rose too much work. The atmosphere at the dinner table became frosty and unbearable and only improved when Tony, Rose's little brother became irritable. Pete and Rose took to giving John their complete attention, ignoring Jackie and the subject was forgotten.

Harold looked embarrassed at the statement. "I just dabble in a bit of drawing," he said softly, almost shyly.

"You should look at some of his drawings. I've seen some of your design schematics, it was no less than genius, it was!" Pete raved. Blimey, her father was turning as bad as Jackie. It must have been Jackie's influence that Pete was turning soft in his old age. The old Pete would never have been this, this open and embarrassing.

Or maybe parents in general were. Rose had thought only mums were but perhaps even dads were too.

"It's nothing really." Harold was turning beetroot red by this time. It was time for Rose to rescue him. She knew what her father was getting at_)_, she might as well play along. She'll get her revenge later on.

"You must show me some of your drawings," Rose said kindly. Harold smiled at her remark, the flush on his face lessening somewhat.

"I will," he mumbled.

Pete put his hand on Rose's shoulder. Rose felt like she was thirteen. "As you know, Vitex feels that art and education is important and we here at Vitex have taken upon ourselves to support the arts scene."

Pete spoke as a Chairman at an investor's briefing. But Rose could not help but feel like a cattle led to slaughter. Nevertheless, she continued to smile.

"It was Rose who pushed ahead for Vitex's involvement in the arts scene. Scouting new artists, supporting local art galleries," he continued. "I'm sure you have heard about the newest opening at the Tate this Friday."

It was not fair. She had only just found her father. Now she had to kill him. Again.

There was a quirk of movement in Harold's eyebrow, he knew that Pete Tyler was setting the two of them up. Smart man.

"Yes, please come," Rose said, unable to keep the embarrassment from her voice. "It would be very nice if you could make it. It'd be wonderful if you could make it."

"Um, certainly!" Harold's response was a little too quick and his smile was a little too wide.

It was unexpected that Harold would have been so taken in by the invitation but Rose felt strangely delighted that he was pleased with the invitation. The moment would have been better had it not been for Pete Tyler, trying to look inconspicuous with a self-satisfied grin all over his face.

Whatever it was, this Harold did not seem like too bad a bloke. She had been dreading the opening party at the Tate, she did not actually have a date for the evening. The gossip mags were going to have a field day, Vitex Heiress, alone again. Will she never find a man?

'I could just contact my PA, and we can set up a time that is appropriate?' Rose said.

Harold who seemed deathly shy, could not hide how pleased he was at the invitation. She sighed inwardly, he did seem like a nice guy – how wrong could the evening go?


	3. Chapter 2: Getting to Know You

_A/N: Sorry guys, I uploaded the wrong chapter - unbeta-ed. This is the correct one. Never upload late at night when you're tired and sleepy. Thanks to Joe for pointing out the mistakes._

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Sometimes, Rose wished that she did not jinx herself. Especially when it came to dates post-Doctor. It was not as though most men could not live up to the Doctor. No, that was untrue. The truth of the matter was that it was impossible for most human men to live up to the Doctor. Most human men were boringly domestic, even if they did travel and adventured for a living, setting their sights mostly on Earth.

However, Harry Saxon was something else entirely. Oh, the sweetheart was certainly trying. He would have, in another universe where Rose was not a shop girl who rescued a time -raveling alien, been perfect. He was, after all, the perfect gentleman: he opened the door for her, he listened attentively when she spoke, he asked her if she wanted a drink and then dutifully brought the champagne for her when she asked.

He was handsome too, delightfully so, his dirty blonde hair neatly combed, though he looked mostly confused this evening and did not quite fit into the tuxedo. He was bashfully shy, almost charmingly so. He was educated and he was polite; her mother would have loved him.

His only flaw? He was boring. Tediously boring. So boring that she wanted to hit her head against one of the many sculptures they had on display at the gallery, one of the many Vitex Industries had sponsored for this particular show.

It was the opening of the art gallery sponsored by Vitex, filled with beautiful and important people, keen to be seen, keen to be seen with Vitex Industries. Usually, Rose hated attending these events. They bored her, and the people who attended bored her as they flattered her incessantly in hopes of making a business connection.

Her usual M.O for these events was to arm herself with a lovely arm candy, a date that she would focus her attention on. The date's duty would be to manage the monotony of these sorts of events. Rose truly loved art, she did, but openings of art galleries tend to attract the sort of sycophants that she would rather not deal with.

But Harry here…

'And then in the 1980s, with Vitex's competitor developing the energy drink, with its slow release of glucose...'

The history of energy drinks. Really.

'So tell me, Rose, how did you come up with the concoction for a low-calorie version of Vitex?' he asked.

Rose took a big gulp of her champagne. It went straight to her head and she felt a little dizzy. This was her fourth glass. Any more, and she might end up doing something she would completely regret with Harry.

'I paid the best scientists to come up with something,' Rose replied, a little more bluntly than she intended. Oops, there went the Vitex's carefully constructed story of Rose sitting down in a lab cooking up a recipe for the weight-conscious clientele.

'Oh!' said Harry, somewhat perplexed by Rose's statement.

'It's alright. I figured that I was helping people, through job creation and stuff,' Rose said, taking another sip of her champagne. She thought it did not taste right, and in a manner supremely unladylike, spat back the drink into her glass lest she got completely pissed.

'I'm sure you're just being modest,' Harry said gamely. 'You're under-estimating your genius.'

'Uh. No. I think I told the scientists I needed something that won't make me put on weight when I drink the stuff at night,' Rose continued bluntly. 'Are those salmon canapés? I had a friend who loved nibbles. I should try them.'

'Oh,' Harry repeated, this time somewhat disappointed.

Rose made a bee-line towards one of the waiters. She had finished her drink already, and she thought of taking another. There was a strong possibility that with every minute spent with Harry meant another minute of being closer to making a decision she might regret. With foresight severely diminishing by the minute, Rose whipped out her phone and texted Mickey to rescue her.

'Rose, is everything alright?'

'What?' she asked. 'Fine! Fine. Everything is good. Excellent.' She stuffed her phone back in her purse. She stopped a waiter who was making his rounds, and picked up another glass of champagne.

'Um, is it wise to be drinking this much?' Harry asked mildly.

'Drinking this much? What? No. I'm a Vitex girl. Vitex helps me metabolize all this alcohol, really quickly.'

'But, that's not actually been proven,' Harry replied seriously. He looked torn, as though he wondered if he should take the glass away from her. 'According to the research done by Smith and Kline in 2004, not to accuse your product of being anything less than worthy, the claim that Vitex helps hangovers was at best inconclusive.'

Rose took that as a challenge, and downed the entire glass. Her father was going to ask her the next day if she entertained any of Vitex's clients the next day, and she would have to tell him, well, she didn't because the man he set her up with was dull, dull, dull, dull, dull.

'Perhaps I ought to take you home,' Harry said, a little hurt.

'No! No,' said Rose. Despite edging towards being somewhat wasted, somewhere in the vestiges/corners of her mind, the little part where Jackie Tyler, single mother, brought her up good and proper, came to the fore and she felt guilty at the way she was treating Harry Saxon. It was not his fault that he was so boring. It was not as though he chose to be that way.

She closed her eyes to steady herself. 'I'm sorry, Harry, work's been rough. I really should not be behaving this way.'

Rose's phone beeped, receiving a text message. She opened her purse and checked her phone. Damn Mickey. He was her best friend. As best friends, he ought to be there for her. So what if there was a minor hostile alien just outside London. Not coming to pick her up was just rude.

'Perhaps we ought to go back,' Harry said earnestly. 'This scene is not exactly exciting.'

Rose held back the 'Kettle, meet pot' that nearly rolled off her tongue. She took a deep breath and thought, she was just being severe to Harry. She nodded and thought, at the very least this was the last she was going to deal with Harry again. Except at work. Maybe.

In the work context, at the very least it was not going to be in any potentially romantic circumstance.

Harry, despite Rose's behaviour which could only be aptly described as being a bitch, still remained a gentleman. Instead of chalking Rose's behaviour up to her being an uncouth and spoilt princess, he dutifully escorted her out the gallery through the front doors, all the while chatting to her.

Except Rose did not usually exit the front doors. She usually exited through the back doors since the paparazzi would be waiting at the front door.

Which Harry naively was unaware of. The moment they stepped out of the museum doors, flashes of light from cameras went off in a manic frenzy. Coupled with Rose's red-face from too many drinks, Rose knew that this would make for several unflattering headlines in the upcoming gossip rags.

'Blimey,' Harry said. 'Does this happen often?'

'More often than you think,' she said through gritted teeth. Rose slipped her arm through Harry's; she could see him turn a pale shade of pink when she did so. 'Keep walking and pay no attention to them.'

There were questions being tossed around by the paparazzi as they walked down the steps. Harry was looking more and more bewildered by the press.

'Rose, Rose, who's this man in your life?'

'How far is this going to go?'

'Are there wedding bells in the making, love?'

Wedding bells! Rose thought indignantly. Harry still dutifully escorted her to the taxi. 'Um,' Rose started.

Harry took charge, opened the door and led her in. 'Rest, Miss Tyler. You need it.'

Not for the first time tonight, Rose felt terrible. There was nothing actually wrong with Harry. It just was not his fault he was terribly boring and despite her less than sober ways, he still helped her to the taxi with no sense of malice or judgment radiating from him.

'Thank you, Harry,' she replied genuinely.

He shrugged. And out of an impulse, just before the door of the taxi closed, Rose shouted back, 'Call me!' despite knowing full well that she probably would not answer.

She could just be so stupid.

The look of surprise on Harry's face was genuine. He had a slightly silly smile plastered as he closed the door of the taxi. Rose realized with a sinking feeling that Harry had a crush on her, and she certainly was not helping things by shouting things like call her.

This was why she did not date. It was not just that no one could live up to the Doctor. All that time spent with the Doctor meant she picked up all his bad habits, including leading people on, making promises that he couldn't keep.

She ought to stick to only dating alien men.


	4. Chapter 3: On the Bridge

_A/N: Same as the previous chapter. My apologies for uploading the wrong chapter. Thanks to Joe for pointing it out._

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Rose stood by London Bridge, a camera in hand. She was dressed as a tourist, complete with camera , a loud scarf around her neck and a tacky hat. She had her backpack on her back as she took pictures of the Tower Bridge in the distance.

"Rose?" a voice in her ear cackled before the feedback resounded through her brain.

"Arrgghh!" Rose yelled. A small group tourists on the bridge nearby to where she was stared at her, slightly concerned. She waved them off weakly mouthing 'I'm okay' before conspicuously touching her ear.

The tourists nodded before inching away from her a little.

"Rose? Can you hear me?" the same voice cackled in her ear, but this time the volume was a lot more tolerable.

"Yes," Rose muttered. The tourists who had looked at her strangely when she cried out now started to move a greater distance from her as she spoke to herself. "Yes, Mickey, I can hear you."

"Jake! Can you hear me?"

Jake moved right next to Rose, his back on the wall. "Yeah, hearing you loud and clear."

Rose exchanged a glance with Jake and turned her back on the wall as well. "Where are you?"

"At the end of the bridge, by the falafel stalls."

"You're supposed to be working, not eating!" Jake mocked.

"Shut up!"

Rose merely smiled. "David, what are we waiting for?"

Jake cast an upward glance to the buildings on his left, to the City. David was the fourth member of this small team. His position was in an office building with a clear view of London Bridge and of Mickey, Jake and Rose.

"Well, he's not here yet. The moment I get an ID on him, I'll tell you." David replied.

"Be careful, guys. The last thing we want is for this alien to take control of your bodies," Mickey interjected.

The four of them were hunting an alien. Well, a group of gaseous aliens that could take over human bodies, using them as shells. So far, the numbers were small but Torchwood suspected the small numbers were a team doing a survey to see if this planet was appropriate for an invasion. It was your typical day in Torchwood.

After weeks of staking out, their sources confirmed that two of them would be on London Bridge today to exchange some sort of technology. Mickey, who was heading the operation, decided on a small team to apprehend both suspects. They needed to be careful. Any more than necessary, and the alien could just jump from its current host to any of the myriad of humans on the bridge.

"So, Rose, how was your date with Harry Saxon?" Jake asked, his tone bored but his mannerisms suggesting anything but.

Rose made a mental note to strangle Mickey. She had already shared the details with him, and he must have blabbed to Jake. "It was okay…"

"Just okay?"

"He was boring, alright? Went on and on about research he read about energy drinks."

Jake cracked up. Rose shot him another dirty look. Sure, her dating life had practically stagnated ever since she came to Pete's world. She understood that no man would ever be as interesting as the Doctor, but why was it that every man she had met so far had been so, so terrible instead?

Jake was about to make another inappropriate comment on her love life when Mickey's voice interrupted the two of them. "Guys, I see one of our boys. It's John Boroughs. He is walking in the direction of Rose and Jake. Standby for retrieval."

Rose continued to smile but kept an eye out for a six foot tall man, with scars on his face. Once upon a time he was John Burroughs, a family man who was working for a bank. Now, if what their sources said was true, he was a shell of the real John Boroughs, as a Lethe had taken over his body.

"What about target number 2?" Mickey said through their ear piece.

Jake shifted his position a little, still pretending to take pictures of Rose. Both agents played their part of happy American tourists, Rose's choice to Jake's dismay, as they waited to intercept Boroughs.

The man once known as John Boroughs was walking towards the two of them. Rose put one arm on the bridge wall, the other on her hip, close to the holster where her gun was. Jake pretended to fiddle with the camera as the man walked closer to the two of them.

"I see target number 2!" David announced excitedly through the ear piece. Target number 2 was a much smaller man, a meek school teacher by the name of Edward Lee who had disappeared a few weeks ago. Rose glanced in the opposite end of the bridge to Boroughs and saw a small blond man walking towards the two of them.

"I'm on to Lee. You lot pick up Boroughs," Mickey announced. From the corner of her eye, Rose could see Mickey walking up to Edward Lee to ask a question. They needed to knock both men unconscious and bring them back to Torchwood. Easy peasy.

"Uh, oh, looks like Mickey is in need of a hand," David muttered through the ear piece.

There was trouble. Apparently the Lethe/Lee did not appreciate Mickey's request for directions and was trying to brush him off. Mickey was being Mickey, persistent and annoying, and refused to let Lee get away and both their voices rose in a conversation that was deteriorating into an argument. Eventually Lee tired of their exchange shoved Mickey to the ground. Gasps went up all around, a small crowd starting to build around Mickey and Lee.

"I think you'd better help him," Rose said to Jake. 'We can't let the other Lethe see there might be a problem."

Jake looked torn between helping Mickey or leaving Rose behind to deal with John Boroughs alone.

"I'll be fine! We have to get both!" Rose hissed. "Go!"

Jake nodded. He ran across the street to help Mickey placate Edward Lee. John Borough was starting to take note of the commotion with Edward Lee. Rose had to act quickly. She rushed towards John Boroughs. "Excuse me!" Rose started, in a sweet and very fake American accent. She took her camera and shoved it into John Boroughs' hands. "Could you help me take a picture?"  
John Boroughs was about to snap a reply when suddenly a voice called out- "Rose? Rose Tyler?"

Both John Boroughs and Rose froze. Coming towards them was Harry Saxon, all smiles. Harry mistook the silence as an indication to continue and continue he did. "I thought it was you, I wasn't sure because of the whole tourist thing..." He paused and looked at her curiously.

It was the distraction that Mickey and Jake needed. They pounced on Lee but he shouted as Mickey and Jake knocked him to the ground. The commotion caught everyone's attention, most of all Boroughs, who was skittish as it was already. John Boroughs' eyes widened. He stared at Rose and he knew that his game was up. There was no time to lose. Rose grabbed one of his arms and twisted it behind his back and kicked behind the knees.

"Can't talk right now, Harry. Am on the job. Ring me up sometime, will ya?" Rose breathed. Rose couldn't see Harry's face but she was sure as hell it ranged from perplexed to gob-smacked. "Now come on, you. You're coming with me."

Boroughs twisted his neck in an inhuman manner to face her. She could hear the bones in his neck snapping as his head turned 180 degrees. "You will never take me alive," he hissed. The white of his eyes turned black before rolling back into his head. His mouth dropped open before a gaseous black substance began escaping his body.

"Fuck!" Rose cursed. With her hands tied up, there was no way she could knock Boroughs out without releasing him. "Harry!"

Harry was a classic depiction of a deer in the headlights. "Harry!" Rose shouted again. Rose's shout shook him out of his stupor. "Harry! In my pockets, there is a thing. Take it out!"

"What thing?"

"It's a biological status — oh, forget what it is! Left coat pocket! Take it out!"

Harry Saxon leapt to Rose's side and started to scramble through her pockets. His hand brushed over her breasts as he frantically searched through her pockets. Despite the dire situation, Rose couldn't help but blush a bit. He finally pulled out the tool that Rose described, a black, credit-card-sized object.

"What should I do with it?" Harry exclaimed, panicked.

Before Rose could explain what to do with it, Boroughs with inhuman strength pushed Rose down before punching Harry Saxon in the face. With his final move, both John Boroughs and Harry Saxon collapsed to the ground.


	5. Chapter 4: In Pursuit of Harry

_A/N: For those coming straight to Chapter 4, I made a mistake with Chapter 2 and 3. I've reuploaded them with the corrections, so I hope you wouldn't mind reading them. My apologies again and thanks for reading!_

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Rose watched as both men collapsed to the ground. For a split second, Rose was unsure of what she should do. Should she attend to Harry first or should she make sure that the Lethe in John Boroughs' body had not escaped into another human being?

There was a crowd gathering around the three. "Rose!" It was Mickey. Mickey pushed through the crowd, looking at both men on the ground. He gave her a look, which clearly said "Now look what you did".

Rose rolled her eyes. "What about the other alien?"

"Jake's got it covered. David's called in a retrieval team."

It was the result of years of knowing each other and working together. Rose and Mickey divvied up their work wordlessly. Mickey rushed to John Boroughs' side whilst Rose checked on Harry Saxon. The crowd continued to "ooh" and "ah" and stare at the two of them as they would an accident victim.

"David! Can you get a team in to clear the crowd?!" Rose shouted through her earpiece as one of the onlookers took a picture of the situation.

"Ow! You don't have to shout. A team is on your way to handle the crowd," David replied irritably.

Rose knelt by Harry's side. Harry Saxon was sprawled unattractively on the ground. She placed her hand on his skin. Harry was burning up. Clearly this was more than just a knock to the head. She needed to get him to the Torchwood hospital.

"Think this one's a goner," Mickey intoned. "No pulse, nothing." Mickey pulled out a scanner from his pockets and scanned the man. "No Lethe either."

"Harry's burning up." Rose bit her bottom lip nervously. "I think he might have the Lethe in him."

"Harry? So you know him? Wait, is he the Harry that Pete made you take out at the art gallery?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

"Whoa, way to treat a bloke on his second meeting!"

As if on cue, Harry began to stir. "Harry, it's Rose. Are you alright?"

Harry's eyes opened and a black gaseous substance swirled inside. Harry cackled with laughter in a grating, unearthly voice before shoving Rose aside. He got up and started pushing the crowd around them. They fell to the side, like pins in a bowling alley.

"Twice in one day," Rose moaned before getting up. Why do aliens always make life so difficult for everyone? Rose pulled out her other gun from her right holster. "David, you're going to have a great time cleaning up!" Aiming for Harry, she shot him. The crowd around them screamed. The shot was clean and hit Harry squarely in the back. Barely flinching, Harry, with the Lethe in control, continued to run.

"Mickey!"

"Got it, babe!" Mickey said, pulling out his scanner. It was chaos on London Bridge as bystanders started to run in every direction. Mickey was unfazed by the pandemonium, his focus on the job.

The scanner came to life in Mickey's hands and a small dot began beeping. "Second meeting and you shoot him already. Seems like the beginning of a wonderful relationship."

"I knew we should have brought the tranquilizer gun. And no, it's not a relationship" Rose muttered irritably. Rose and Mickey exchanged the same look of dismay before both of them start to run on the bridge towards Harry Saxon.

Running through the busy streets of London would be enough to get anyone killed. Harry navigated expertly and Rose and Mickey had problems catching up. It did not help that the streets of London were perpetually busy.

"He sure runs fast," Mickey puffed.

"Alien. He's alien," Rose huffed back, trying to keep up pace. Despite the excellent shape she was in, she was no where close to an alien's stamina. Mickey looked at his scanner. "We've got him now. First left. Dead end."

Rose and Mickey turned into the alley. Harry was staring at the wall blocking his escape. Rose fervently prayed that it was not considering scaling the wall or smashing through the wall with his bare fists. Finally, Harry turned around to face them, his eyes still black.

"This human is superbly unfit," Harry complained. Rose's eyes widened in indignation. "Unfit? You stole his body! I don't think you have the right to complain!"

Harry made a face to look like he rolled his eyes although Rose was not sure considering his eyes were all black. "I had a fantastic body till you came in and took it away from me."

"Yeah, well, that man? You took his body. He died. And you took away more than just his body. You took away a dad and a husband and a friend. He was a person." Rose cocked her gun and pointed directly at Harry Saxon. "I'm not about to let you do it again. Give Harry back."

Harry's smile was cruel. "What's the point? The moment I leave his body, he dies. When we enter your frail little bodies, we create a symbiotic relationship."

"A parasitic one, you mean," Rose spat. Rose turned to Mickey, who looked a little pale. "Mickey, the Rebus capsule."

Mickey nodded and pulled out a capsule from his bag. Harry's taunting face twisted into fear. "We maybe just earthlings but we do have friends," Rose said. Rose was cool as she spoke. "If I'm not mistaken, this should forcibly take you of his body, keep you in a suspended state."

"If you take me out of his body, he will die," the Lethe threatened.

"If you stay in him, he'll die anyway," Rose retorted. Rose nodded at Mickey. Mickey took out the capsule and pressed a button. There was a hiss, the release of compression before bright white light escaped from the capsule. Mickey and Rose felt nothing but it was clear that there was some effect on the Lethe. Harry screamed and fell to the floor, curled into a fetal position.

Rose had to look away as the screams grew louder. Mickey's face was impassive as the gaseous black substance escaped from Harry Saxon and into the capsule in Mickey's hands. The capsule beeped and the light from the capsule dimmed as it closed down. What was left was Harry on the ground.

"Harry!" Rose rushed over to Harry's side. Mickey followed suit pulling out the scanner.

"He's alive. The Lethe…" Mickey pronounced. The rest of his sentence was unspoken but remained hanging in the air. How alive he was, was uncertain.

Rose pulled Harry onto her lap. Mickey pulled out his mobile and dialed a number. "David? Get me an ambulance to this location,"

Harry was shivering but when he opened his eyes, Rose could see Harry's usual blue eyes. Rose never felt more relieved than she did at that point. "Harry, Harry. Can you hear me?"

Harry was shivering so hard. "C-c-cold," he stuttered. Rose took off her backpack and her jacket to cover him. "Harry, do you know who I am?"

Harry struggled to look at her. "Rose?" he struggled to say. "Where am I?"

Rose smiled. She really shouldn't, but poor Harry. She wondered if all her dates from Mickey would end up the way it did today. It was one argument against being set up. "In an alley down in London."

Poor Harry was still shivering, and she reckoned, his back was going to kill him later on. But he was alive — it was the best thing that could happen today after a retrieval effort gone wrong.

"But you're going to be okay."


	6. Chapter 5: Visiting Hours

**Summary**: Harry recovers at the hospital after the rather interesting ordeal.

Thanks for reading =)

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Rose walked briskly down the hospital corridor. She was caught up in meetings the whole day, briefing the Director of Torchwood on what happened and then she was caught up in her office with paperwork to document the day's events. These were the days where she missed the days where she could just drop things and run off with the Doctor. Ten percent of the work was the action, and at least ninety was the paperwork, the clearance and the endless meetings.

Oh, how Rose Tyler had grown up.

"Rose!"

Rose stopped walking to see Mickey doing a slight jog to catch up to her. Rose smiled but Mickey looked solemn.

"Is something wrong?"

Mickey shook his head. He had one hand on his head. "No, just another one of those days. Paperwork and more paperwork," he sighed. He gave a pained smile that Rose knew all too well. The issue with the Lethe wasn't over yet; they needed to interrogate the ones they did catch and that meant more paperwork.

Rose nodded in sympathy. "Same here, finally got a bit of time off to see Harry Saxon."

Mickey's smile faded. "I have to tell you something. Something that I did not put in my field report.' He paused. 'And I checked your field report as well and I noticed that you did not put it in either."

Rose mentally went through her field report that she typed up the night before after the events on the London Bridge. She might have been knackered but she was quite certain that she had put in every detail.

"Withholding information from Torchwood?" she teased Mickey. "I don't think so."

"Rose, this is serious. I wanted to ask you about it first before I did anything."

"Did what, Mickey? Like I said, I was tired from what happened but not tired enough to miss out details on the retrieval."

"Like the time when that alien took over Harry Saxon's body. You know when he spoke. He didn't exactly speak English."

It took Rose a few seconds to digest this new information. "What do you mean? You couldn't understand him?"

Mickey shook his head. "He spoke in an alien language. In Lethian. But you understood him."

Rose could feel hope rising in her heart. The Tardis was translating for her. "Do you think it's the Doctor?"

There was sympathy and perhaps pity in Mickey's eyes. He seemed unsure how to continue. "Thing is, I thought about it and I don't think so. You see, I traveled with the Doctor and on the Tardis. The Tardis translated everything for me and if he's here, it should translate for me as well."

The hope that rose died a quick death. The momentary happiness left a bitter taste in Rose's mouth. Silly girl. Still hoping to return home. Rose reminded herself over and over. She was home. It was impossible for the Doctor to take her back.

"I was thinking about it and I think it might be the other Tardis," Mickey began slowly.

Rose thought about the Tardis they had found a few months ago, sitting in one of Torchwood's hangar. They had thought it was originally the Doctor's Tardis. But when Rose found her key would not turn and open the door, the team was quick to realize that the Tardis they found was not her Doctor's Tardis. As soon as Rose slipped the key into the lock, the distress call switched off. The Tardis became quiet.

"We'll have to look into that," Rose said, keeping her voice level.

Mickey put a hand on her shoulder and squeezed it. Rose knew it was his way of comforting her. "So, third date. How are you going to top the second?"

"That was not a date."

Mickey laughed. "Face it, babe. You fancy him. Energy drinks and all."

Rose merely smiled. "I think I owe an explanation to him. The second time we meet, an alien takes over his body. Jeopardy friendly, that's what I am." They grinned and both reached for the other at the same time. It was a while before either let go.

"Good job on today," Rose congratulated. Mickey shrugged. "The rest of the guys will be at the pub later tonight. Joining us?"

Rose nodded. Mickey waved goodbye, leaving Rose alone in the corridor. She stood there for a minute, contemplating if she wanted to see Harry Saxon or leave it for another day. The mere thought that the Doctor was back and then realizing he was not was enough to send her into the throes of depression that she went through her first year in Pete's world. But Rose willfully shook herself out of it. She was here, she had a job to do and now, more importantly, a friend she had to apologize to.

Rose walked along the corridor till she saw his room number. She knocked on the door. "Come in," a weak voice called out.

Rose's face broke out into a grin seeing Harry Saxon out of his usual suit and tie, in a hospital gown, trying to discern the pudding given by the hospital in bed. The room was empty, bereft of any flowers or get well soon cards. Rose felt a pang in her heart for Harry Saxon.

"Hello," Rose said.

Harry looked up almost immediately. "Oh, hello!" he stammered. Clearly, he was not expecting a visitor, much less Rose. He hastily put the pudding on the table, in a precarious position.

Whatever funk Rose felt earlier, it left her immediately, seeing a shy Harry Saxon trying to appear distinguished and as relaxed as possible to Rose despite the ridiculous hospital gown he was wearing.

"I'm sorry, I didn't bring you anything," Rose said lamely, gesturing to the room.

"Nah, that's alright. Didn't expect you to come in the first place." The moment the words came out of his mouth, Rose could see he regretted it. Instead of taking any offense, Rose found it rather charming that Harry Saxon was trying very hard to impress her. A small part of her wondered if it really was due to her dad being the all powerful Pete Tyler. But she reckoned that Harry Saxon wasn't that sort of a man.

"But here I am," Rose said cheerfully.

"Here you are," he finished.

The silence that fell between them was awkward and long. Harry Saxon tried to sit up straighter, and in the process knocked off the pudding off the table and onto the floor. Harry gave her a sheepish look.

Rose couldn't help herself. She giggled before coming by his side to help him with the mess. She helped clear up the pudding whilst Harry Saxon watched. "I trust the doctors had treated you well?" Rose asked.

"They have. Although I have to say, they have quite the expertise for," Harry paused, stealing a glance at Rose before looking away, "someone who had their body taken over by aliens." The last sentence was mumbled so quickly that Rose almost did not catch it.

Rose shrugged as she started to tidy up the room. She picked up the vase which held a wilting flower. "Well, one of Albion's greatest donors is Torchwood. Torchwood has some interest in extraterrestrial activity," Rose said as she walked towards the bathroom to replace the water.

"Aliens?"

Rose came out of the room and placed it on the bedside table by the window. Harry had a fantastic view of London in the hospital. Rose turned around and leaned on the wall. "Sorry, force of habit. Yeah, aliens."

Harry looked at her as though she was insane. "And I thought I was the only one going insane." Harry laughed but his laughter died quickly when he realized that Rose was perfectly serious.

"You're not going insane. It's a bit hard to get used to, believe me, I had a pretty bad culture shock," Rose laughed, remembering the first time she stepped into the Tardis. She smiled at the memory.

Harry crossed his arms, his eyebrows furrowed together in concentration. "You're telling me that aliens do exist."

Rose nodded.

"And you work for Torchwood."

Rose nodded slowly. "Spot on."

Harry looked as though he was about to bolt off the bed and call in the psychiatric ward to haul Rose in. But to his credit, the disbelief on his face began to subside as he digested the new information. "I'm guessing you're not actually in R&D at Vitex," Harry said finally.

Rose laughed. "God, no! That was something Dad made up. I do work for Vitex, just the face of Vitex. But that isn't really working for Vitex is it?"

Harry's jaw dropped at the mention of Dad. "Pete Tyler's in it as well?"

Oops. Rose bit her bottom lip nervously. "Yeah, well, Dad is the Director of Torchwood. We don't just do alien activity. Torchwood was around to help during the Cybermen wars. Boring stuff, defending the earth."

Harry leaned back and closed his eyes. "I suppose when I was trying to impress you with my latest readings on energy drinks, you must have been bored out of your mind," Harry sighed dramatically, closing his eyes. He opened one eye to look at Rose.

Rose laughed and relaxed. "Well, a little bit. But I'm glad you're alright. And I'll make it up to you once you're out of hospital."

"What for?"

"I don't know. For letting an alien assume your body. That sort of thing, really careless of me."

"Well, if you put it that way," Harry replied jovially. "A coffee would do just fine."

The door to Harry's room opened and a nurse entered. "I'm sorry, Miss Tyler, but I'm afraid visiting hours are over."

Rose felt a pang of regret coming over her. She wished she had come earlier to see Harry Saxon. She smiled regretfully at Harry. "Will you still be in tomorrow?" Rose asked.

"No, I should be out tomorrow, thankfully. I don't think I can take anymore of this hospital food."

"Do you have anyone to come and…" As soon as the question escaped from Rose's mouth, Rose regretted it. Harry's cheery face turned a little embarrassed and sorrowful. Rose realized that there probably was no one.

"Or I could pick you up tomorrow," Rose continued smoothly, or what she hoped was a smooth attempt.

"Wouldn't you be busy saving the earth?" Harry asked, amused.

"I figure I could fit you in. Somewhere after stopping an apocalypse." Rose winked as she was about to walk out.

Harry looked as though he was about to decline when something made him change his mind. He nodded imperceptibly. Rose grinned.

"I'll see you tomorrow. I have an old friend to see right now," said Rose.


	7. Chapter 6: Bigger on the Inside

**Summary**: Rose investigates why she was able to understand the alien language. Could it be due to the Tardis?

**A/N: **Thanks guys for reading and reviewing!

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The Torchwood hangar was mostly empty when Rose arrived. Some of Torchwood's scientists were still working, running tests on some of the alien artifacts they had retrieved around the world. Rose did not pay too much attention to the scientists as she walked by their workstations. The scientists were, despite their limited exposure to the universe out there, experts in their own fields and best left to their own devices. The only time Rose felt the need to intervene was when one of Torchwood's technicians labeled an intergalactic hairdryer as a weapon. Rose shuddered to think what might have happened if one of their agents had gone against an alien invasion with a hairdryer.

The hangar was big, with workstations arranged neatly in rows. Although the Hangar was well lit, the ambience was cold and uncomfortable save for the lamps on the Workstations the scientists worked in. It gave a small personal touch to the otherwise sterile work environment.

But this evening, most of the scientists had gone home and only the remaining scientists had their lights switched on. It casted an eerie glow, giving little light to the dark Torchwood hanger. Coupled with things such as heads of Cybermen littered on the floor, and alien beings in vats of preservatives, it would have been downright horrifying for the average person.

But Rose was no ordinary person. Rose continued to walk down the Hangar towards the Unidentified section. This was where weapons, artifacts that could not be identified or used in a safe way were kept, hidden away even from most of Torchwood.

This was where the Tardis lay.

When Torchwood first found the Tardis, Rose had hoped that it was the Doctor and that he had found his way back to this world. But when she slipped her key into the Tardis lock and it would not turn, Rose knew, she just knew that it was not her Doctor's Tardis. This was a Tardis that belonged to this universe, possibly a Tardis that belonged to this world's Doctor.

It was odd to think that this universe had a Doctor. She had grown accustomed to the belief that this universe did not have a Doctor, or Time Lords for that matter. The mere thought of the existence of another Doctor shook her.

But Rose was a professional. She would put her own personal feelings aside to understand what was going on.

"Hi Nick," she greeted. Nick was the caretaker of the Unidentified department. He was in his forties, had graying hair and a paunch. He was dedicated to breaking the mysteries of the universe through the artifacts no one seemed to be able to. He spent each day, preening through each item, trying his best to figure each one out. He had not succeeded so far.

"Hi Rose," he greeted back. He was holding a magnifying glass to some artifact. "Here for the T-A-R-D-I-S?" Nick never called the Tardis, the Tardis. He always spelt it out.

"The Tardis, Nick."

"Says you." Nick rolled away on his chair from his artifact to his computer. "The T-A-R-D-I-S, it is. You haven't been back for a while. Any new development regarding this battered phone box?"

Aside from being hopeless at figuring out artifacts, Nick was a terrible gossip. Rose gave him a tightlipped smile.

"Nothing," Rose lied smoothly. "Just want to see it, see if anything has changed. Reports sake."

Nick gave her a look which clearly said that he did not believe her. He thought Rose had some sort of perverse fascination with the Tardis. But he got up anyway and walked to the storage area door and unlocked it. He stepped in to switch the lights on. "Same thing, boring old," Nick intoned, bored. "I think one of the teams might have stacked some items on it, but it should be where it was the last time."

"Thanks Nick," Rose replied a little insincerely as she entered the storage area for unidentified objects.

Rose walked all the way to the end of the storage room. The Tardis stood out as one of the most normal things in the room full of items that was scavenged from the universe. What the rest of Torchwood did not know was that the Tardis was perhaps the most powerful item they had in their hands.

Was the most powerful item, Rose remembered. For all she knew, the Tardis could have died. There was a Time War in this universe but the Doctor did not survive it.

Rose touched the panels of the box. "Hey girl, it's me, Rose."

God, was she turning into the Doctor? Speaking to the Tardis? "It's been a while since I've been here. I'm sorry, I guess work caught up with me." That was an outright lie. She had not been that busy but the thought of seeing the Tardis made her feel so unstable.

Rose realized she was shaking as she spoke. She took a deep breath before trying again. "Mickey, he's my friend. He pointed out something interesting. He said that I'm able to understand alien languages and thinks you're the one that had been helping out. Is that true?"

The Tardis did not respond. Rose felt a little silly. How did she expect a ship to respond to her? At this point, Rose would take out the key that she had hanging around her neck. Some of her colleagues had teased her about the key, saying it was an odd choice for a keepsake. Rose ignored them.

Rose slipped the key into the lock. She hesitated for a moment. Rose had a routine each time she was with the Tardis. She would speak to the ship before trying to unlock the Tardis. And it was the same result each time, the key would not turn.

Out of habit, Rose turned the key as she had done each and every time, expecting to feel the familiar resistance of the lock. To her surprise, the key turned. Rose pulled away from the key immediately. Was she imagining things or did the key actually turn? Rose felt her heart beat faster, the curiosity building up within her. Should she go back and inform Mickey about the turn of events? She really should not go in alone, it could be dangerous. This was not the Tardis she knew, this was not the Doctor she knew — it could be very bad.

Or, it could be good. Curiosity got the best of her and Rose impulsively pushed open the door.

The Tardis was as she remembered it, with its organic lines and its console in the centre of room. It was dark with minimum lights left on. Rose shuddered involuntarily. The last time she saw the Tardis without lights was when they fell through the hole in the void, into Pete's world. Rose walked around the console, treading her steps gingerly. This wasn't the Tardis she traveled in, that much she knew. It felt different. Rose walked up to the console, running her hand over it. She remembered her Doctor dancing around the console, pulling a lever here and pushing a switch there. He was most alive around the Tardis.

First things first, Rose needed to ascertain if the Tardis was alive. Rose looked at the console. "Okay, girl. I've no idea what to do here, help me out." As soon as Rose finished her sentence, she felt a presence in her mind. Whoa. She knew the Tardis was telepathic but to actually feel her probing her mind? That was a little out of the ordinary.

Rose looked at the mass of switches, levers and buttons on the console. Rose felt a compulsion to flick one of the switches. The lights came on. For a second Rose was afraid that the Tardis might come to life and whisk her away to God knows where. But the fear was irrational and the Tardis remained quiet saved for the usual hum of a living Tardis.

The Tardis was mourning. Rose could feel the wisps of grief touching the edge of her mind. She did not have to ask to know that the owner of the ship was gone. Rose felt the sorrow of the ship as her own. The Doctor was gone in this universe. Tears sprung in her eyes and Rose used the back of her hands to wipe off her tears angrily. No tears. She had a job to do.

There was a book on the Tardis console. Gray's Anatomy. Interesting. Rose picked up the book and flipped through it. It was pages and pages of the anatomy of the human body, nothing that would interest her. Belonged to a Doctor, it did. Rose wondered if this universe's Doctor was actually interested in being a real Doctor, an MD. Rose imagined her Doctor, all floppy haired and bouncing with boundless energy in a Doctor's coat and a stethoscope. She smiled at the thought. He'd scare the patients witless.

Rose flipped through the pages disinterestedly until she was about to close the book. There was some writing in the front pages. Rose flipped it open. In big, elegant script it was written "Property of Martha Jones".

Rose froze. This belonged to a companion.

Rose immediately put the book down. She had assumed that there were no Time Lords in this universe, she didn't make an effort to find out more. Maybe she did not want to. But now there was someone out there who had seen the Doctor…

The book Rose put down slid, hitting a lever as it fell to the floor. The crash shocked her, Rose jumped. Rose knelt down to the floor to pick up the book. As she stood up, Rose was completely unprepared to come face to face with the Doctor.


	8. Chapter 7: The Doctor

**Summary**: We meet the Doctor....or do we?

**A/N**: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing!

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It wasn't really the Doctor. It was a hologram of the Doctor, more specifically, the first Doctor she'd met. How could she forget the big ears, the nose and the haunted blue eyes? He was looking directly at her.

She could have easily mistaken the hologram as her Doctor, as the same hologram that he switched on to save her on the space station. But Rose knew this was not her Doctor. It was the little details that caught her. Her Doctor never looked at her like a stranger. He looked at her with affection and as though she was the most important thing in the world to him.

But to see him again, her Doctor or not, was a punch to the gut. Despite the skinnier other Doctor saying that they were the same person, Rose had always mourned the loss of her first Doctor inside.

"This has got to be strange, recording a message for someone I don't even know yet." The Doctor began, his voice was just as gravelly as the one she knew. He looked tired and so very old. "But I suppose we have to start somewhere, don't we?" he continued.

The Doctor began to cough and cough uncontrollably, his body doubling over in pain. Rose, in reflex rushed to the hologram. The hologram grinned at her suddenly and Rose halted. There was blood trickling down by the side of his mouth. The Doctor must have realized it and he wiped if off with the back of his hand.

"I'm fine," he said standing up straighter. He looked at the blood on his hands. "Don't worry about me. Or worry about me."

The grin the Doctor gave her was grim. It struck Rose then how much worse for wear he really was. His eyes were sunken and tired. He was haggard and the Doctor slouched. He could not stand to his full height, and he stood on his left leg awkwardly.

"I hope I can make it to the end of this message," the Doctor joked, inappropriately.

Rose nodded, struggling to hold the tears forming in her eyes. It would be a matter of time before she became a complete mess.

"Gallifrey's gone. The Daleks are gone. I'm all that's left." The Doctor grinned suddenly but it was grim. "And it won't be much longer before I go too. I doubt anyone would be able to regenerate through this," the Doctor continued.

So this is how he dies.

"It was supposed to end tonight until the Tardis showed two anomalies. One was a survivor of the Time War. Which shouldn't happen but I think I know who this might be."

The Doctor paused and suddenly looked straight into her eyes. "The second, was you. I don't know anything about you, except that the Tardis… she called you the Bad Wolf."

Rose felt her heart drop to the pit of her stomach. Despite the warmth of the Tardis, Rose suddenly felt very, very cold.

"There was some disruption done to the Timelines, not caused by the war. But it apparently happened when you suddenly appeared in this universe. I don't know who you are but the Tardis seemed to recognize you. And trust you."

The Doctor winced, his face grew taut with pain. "I don't have much time left. I could be making the biggest mistake of my life and I wouldn't be around to see it. All I do know is that, I'm placing the Tardis in your care."

Rose wanted to look away; it would be the second time she had to face his 'death'. But Rose felt compelled to watch, the same way one stared at a scene of an accident with morbid fascination.

"This Time Lord, he is unstable. But he survived and for that, I feel he is meant to be here." The Doctor sighed. "He's the worst sort of person that could have survived. I really don't know why the universe would have picked him."

The Doctor laughed again suddenly. "Could be worse," he croaked. "Could have been me."

The Doctor looked very tired but strangely content. "I suppose the universe always needs a Time Lord. Even if it is him. Find him, and watch over him, take care of the Tardis and…"

The Doctor let his voice trail off, his gaze was forlorn and sad, his eyes unexpectedly tender. "Tell Martha, I…"

The holographic image ended. The tears would not stop. The universe was just as cruel in any incarnation. Struggling for control, Rose wiped her face angrily.

Rose felt that she could not stay in the Tardis any longer. Rose stumbled around the console room before rushing toward the door, tears blurring her path. She opened the door and the cold air of the Torchwood hangar greeted her, a sharp contrast to the warmth of the Tardis. Closing the door behind her, Rose fell to her knees and sobbed, sobbing harder than she had ever done since losing the Doctor on the beach three years ago in Norway.


	9. Chapter 8: Calling Doctor Jones

**Summary**: Our heroine tries to find the mysterious Martha Jones.

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The next day, all Rose could think about at the office was the Doctor's message to her. As she stood in the pantry, stirring her coffee, the Doctor's message replayed over and over again in her head. She did not know which shook her more, the knowledge that there was another Time Lord in this universe that the Doctor wanted her to help or the fact that her…this Doctor loved someone as much as her own did with her.

It was stupid to think the Doctor as hers; he was over nine hundred years old. He must have had plenty of companions before and…after her. Rose wondered if her Doctor had moved on in her universe but before the thought could crystallize, she shoved the thought deep inside her subconscious, preferably buried together with the time she caught mum with her latest boyfriend in the bath together. She had a job to do, and there was no point being overcome with jealousy. Jealousy and all those petty emotions, like the desire to strangle the Doctor's next companion would only serve to cloud her judgment.

"I think your coffee is cold."

Rose glanced from her coffee. "Huh?"

It was Ashmita, better known as Ash, the petite Asian from Tech. Rose liked Ash, and they had gone out for drinks on a few occasions together. Ash was a keen and earnest worker, always eager to please.

"Sorry, sorry, mind was somewhere else," Rose said, taking a sip from her coffee. Ash smiled sympathetically. "I'll say, by the way you were stirring your coffee," said Ash as she made her own coffee. Rose grimaced as she drank her coffee. It was cold. Rose tipped her coffee down the sink, feeling a slight pinch of guilt.

"Another coffee?" Ash offered.

"Yes, please." Rose sighed. Rose crossed her arms, her eyes faraway again. She watched Ash make coffees. Ash was methodical, two mugs from the cupboards, placed down side by side by each other. Her hands were slim and they worked beautifully. She did a mean job with hacking computers as well, Rose remembered. Almost as good as Mickey.

"Ash?"

"Yeah?"

"Can you do me a favour?"

"I thought I'm already making you coffee."

Rose pursed her lips. "Another favor. A pretty big one as well."

Ash stopped making the coffee to listen.

"I need you to find me a Martha Jones, an MD," Rose said.

Ash raised an eyebrow and looked at her suspiciously. "You're not stalking an ex-boyfriend's new girlfriend, are you?"

"No! It's for work," Rose said defensively. Well, technically it is for work. And technically he is not an ex-boyfriend, just a sort of boyfriend's doppelganger, Rose mentally assured herself. "There are probably hundreds of Martha Jones MD out there, but I need something a little more Torchwood-y."

Ash shrugged. "Fine, I don't care really. As long as it's not to stalk someone. There's Facebook for that." Ash grinned as she handed Rose the coffee she made. "I'll have something for you in an hour."

"Great! I owe you one," Rose grinned.

Ash shrugged. "No problem, you can always make it up to me by setting up a date with Mickey Smith."

Ash, bless her, had a hopeless, hopeless crush on Mickey. 'I'll see what I can do about it.'

***  
Two hours later, Rose was standing in front of the door of Martha Jones, MD. She was hesitant to knock; she could hear herself making up all sorts of excuses. Perhaps Doctor Martha was not in, she wasn't actually a Doctor yet, she was just doing her housemanship.

The only thing Rose was sure about was that this was the right Martha Jones.

"Now, look at this one," Ash said earlier, as she pulled out a file on Martha Jones. "Odd story, this one. Martha Jones was said to have disappeared for a year from her family before being found. Police report said that she spent the time traveling." Ash pulled out a picture of Martha. It was grainy, enlarged from a CCTV capture. "We never actually know who she traveled with but the last picture of her companion was caught here."

Rose looked at the picture. It was a picture of Martha with a man. Despite the suspect quality of the picture, Rose could see it was a handsome man, but strangely dressed in Victorian clothing. Without a doubt, it must have been the Doctor's previous incarnation, a face before the big ears and the strong nose. It hit Rose then that perhaps she didn't even know the Doctor at all. How many incarnations did he actually have? Rose swallowed back the hurt that rose in her heart, labeling it with a "Deal with it later…or never" tag.

"Now, she disappeared again for the longest while but she came back just right after the Cybermen war," Ash said, her voice wavering a little. Rose saw Ash struggling to hide tears. No one in this world could speak of the Cybermen with ease. Everyone, including her father, had lost someone. "Since then, she had been back doing her training and there's no more of her disappearance," Ash continued.

Rose wondered what to say to Martha Jones. Would she understand? Would she react better if she knew that she too had lost the Doctor? Would Martha think she's a nutter of some sort?

Taking a deep breath, Rose reached out to knock on the door. Simultaneously, the door opened and Martha Jones stood at the entrance. Both women yelped in shock.

"Sorry, sorry! I didn't mean to scare you!" Rose said.

Martha stared at Rose suspiciously and curiously but did not say a word.

"This must look really, really strange. But I err…" Rose knew she should have at least prepared on what to say. Something along the lines of 'Hi, we loved the same man, except in different universes, and I just needed to see you'.

"Aren't you Rose Tyler?" Martha finally said.

Rose nodded, a little shocked. Martha looked amused. "My horoscope today explained that I ought to expect the unexpected. I'd never thought I'd actually meet you on my doorstep."

Martha flashed the magazine she was holding. It was a picture of Rose stepping out of the Tate Modern opening with Harry Saxon on the front page. The headlines screamed "Vitex heiress with unknown Mystery Man". Rose grabbed the magazine off Martha's hands and flipped through the pages.

"That cow!" Rose said furiously as she read some of the unflattering comments on the dress she wore that evening.

Martha looked at her with shock and mild amusement. "If you had planned on coming over to read my Heat magazine, it'd be so much easier if you'd buy it at your local newsstand."

With that comment, Rose turned pink. "Sorry, bit rude of me."

Martha just smiled. "I was just about to pop over to get some milk for my tea. This isn't some reality tv thing, is it?"

"No, no. I just came over to talk to you," Rose said. Martha's eyebrows rose in suspicion. "This isn't a TV thing. I'm not that sort of person." Martha Jones studied Rose. Rose could see she was debating to trust Rose or not. Finally, Martha Jones gave in.

"Come in, Rose Tyler. Although we'll have to make do without milk for the tea." Martha said, opening the door for Rose.

Martha's place was a studio. Nice and cosy, it was a typical student's dig. Messy with papers stacked on places where they should not be stacked. 'Sorry bout the mess,' Martha apologized. 'I haven't got around to cleaning it up. Never seem to have the time these days.'

Rose gave her a strange look, as though half-expecting Martha to seem utterly broken by the mere mentioned of the word 'time'. But Martha seemed well adjusted enough, she was at her stovetop with two mugs and the kettle on.

'So what can I do you for?'

'Huh. I uh, actually thought of just dropping by to say hello.'

Martha had a look of bemusement on her face. 'Do we actually know each other but I'm not quite aware of it.'

'Well, no. We don't really know each other, no. We knew someone, well, we sorta knew somebody, they're not quite the same person,' Rose began to babble. 'Wow, is the tea ready? It's a bit chilly out there.'

Martha looked at her strangely again, as though she wondered where she picked up this strange one. 'Almost,' Martha said.

Rose had rehearsed this line over and over, how on earth to approach Martha with her situation. She sat down at the small table that Martha used as both a study table and a dining table. She pushed aside the textbooks, giving a small space for herself.

Martha returned with the tea, black since Rose interrupted her milk run. Rose grabbed the mugs as though hanging onto dear life. The mug was hot in her hands, burning it slightly. She welcomed the pain.

Well, best to get it over and done with. Rose pulled out the Yale key from around her neck. Martha had a poker face on, Rose knew what it must mean to her if she was the Doctor's companion, but if there was any turmoil in Martha, it was discernible.

'I knew the Doctor,' Rose started.

Martha turned pale. 'Any physician in particular?' she asked. Rose caught the nervous tension that Martha was trying to hide. Martha sat down across from her, refusing to catch Rose's eyes.

'Not any Doctor. The Doctor. An alien who travelled in a phone box that was bigger on the outside.'

'Oh?' Martha asked before a quiet sort of rage flickered in her eyes. 'Who did you speak to about this?'

This was not something she expected.

'No, no one!' Rose said.

'Was it Tish? Is this something for your tabloids and the gossip mags, Miss Tyler. I traveled with an alien,' she snapped. 'What next? I fought the Cybermen and won?'

'Wait, listen, Martha. It's nothing of the sort. I mean I wouldn't have the key to the Tardis.'

'Could be any key, this isn't funny Rose Tyler. I'm not speaking anymore and I ask you to please leave my place.'

'Martha.'

'It's Doctor Jones,' she snapped icily.

'Doctor Jones. This isn't a joke of some kind. This is very real, I did know the Doctor and I needed to see you.' Rose pulled out the textbook from the Tardis. 'This is yours.'

A myriad of emotions flickered on Martha's face. From jealousy to anger to a deep-seated sorrow that Rose was all too familiar with. Martha took the book from Rose's hand and gingerly opened the front cover. On the hard cover, was her handwriting: 'Property of Martha Jones.'

'I wouldn't have got it anywhere, except the Tardis.'

'Out, out now,' she snapped.

Sometimes, Rose thought, she was very good with people. She could get along with anyone, almost everyone. But her charms was not working with Martha Jones today, Martha Jones was almost incandescent with rage. Today, Rose lost.

"You could have gotten that anywhere," Martha replied tightly. "Please leave."

Rose did not say a word. She got up and walked to the front door, with Martha's eyes shooting daggers. Without a word, Rose left the flat and the door slammed on Rose. Rose looked at the closed door and she could hear a thump from behind the door. Martha probably had her back to the door. Rose could only guess what she was going through.

Rose sighed and was about to leave when she remembered why she was here. She needed to gain Martha's trust, one way or the other. Leaning closer to the door, Rose began to speak.

"I don't know if you're listening but you're right. I wasn't telling you the truth when I said I knew your Doctor. I did travel with a Doctor. Just not this universe's."

Rose leaned her head on the door. "Remember the first time when you met the Doctor? Suddenly the world, no, the universe is open to you and there are endless, endless possibilities."

"I thought there were only just aliens out there, never would I have thought there might be other universes out there. But there are. Parallel worlds where things look the same but aren't. The Doctor called it Gingerbread houses."

Rose could feel her tears in her eyes, hot and stinging and the lump in her throat forming. It had been years since she spoke about the Doctor aloud to anyone.

"A few years ago, I don't know if you know this, there was a spatial breech between your world and mine. There were the Cybermen and these creatures called the Daleks," Rose could hear a hitch in Martha's breath. "They came into my world. There was a battle and there was an accident."

Rose turned her back to the door. "Long story short, I ended up here. Away from," Rose could hear her voice cracking. "Away from my Doctor. We're separated, he's in my universe, I'm in yours and there's no way for me to get back."

"In my world, Pete Tyler, my dad, my real dad, he died when I was a baby. I worked in a shop and I didn't even have my A-Levels. Here, I work for Torchwood. I'm the Vitex heiress you read in your Heat magazine. That's how I found you."

Rose hesitated again. Should she take the chance and tell her? "I came here because my team found a Tardis, belonging to your Doctor. We, I mean I found a way into the Tardis. The Doctor…your Doctor had a message."

It was quiet behind the door. Rose was convinced that Martha had left her alone. Rose sighed again, wondering if she had lost her ability to empathize, that working with Torchwood had damaged her somewhat. Rose was about to leave when the door suddenly opened causing Rose to lose her balance.

Martha stood behind the door, her arms folded and her face blank. If it were not for the slightly red eyes, Rose would not have guessed that she had been crying.

"There was a war," Martha began, her voice controlled. "Did he survive it?"

Rose understood. She shook her head, no. Martha looked away.

"I'm sorry," Rose said sorrowfully.

Martha nodded stiffly. "I don't think I could speak to you today, Rose Tyler, if you don't mind."

Rose told her it was not a problem. Martha began to close the door. She should have been more understanding, more caring and a little more intelligent. Despite the crushing disappointment, Rose felt of being unable to deconstruct the Doctor's message and finding someone who Rose had hoped understood how she felt, God, was she being selfish. Rose knew that Martha's needs came first.

"Doctor Jones?"

Martha paused. "It's just Martha for now."

"He…In the message. He said your name."

Martha swallowed. She nodded and closed the door. Rose watched the door close and walked away, with a bitter feeling stuck in her throat. Rose thought of the Doctor and wondered, for the umpteenth time if he was alright and gave a prayer, in the hopes that one day, as impossible as it might be, she would be able to see him again.


	10. Chapter 9: Harry Loves Rose

**Summary**: Poor Harry, is there any way he can win over the heart of the elusive Rose Tyler?

**Chapter 9: Harry Loves Rose**

The lovely thing about people believing that you were a genius of sorts was that people accepted certain eccentricities and chalked them up to an expression of your intelligence. For Harry Saxon, it was his strange habit of incessant drawing. He was compelled to draw and keep drawing. In the moments where he was stuck for inspiration, he would start doodling. If he was on his own, he would be sketching and drawing.

Most of Harry's colleagues found Harry's artistic skill a characteristic that was mildly fascinating and a little odd. He drew of imaginary and fantastic worlds, planets with two suns — they thought his imagination was more suited for a young teenager rather than a physicist. And so they admired his skills in the quiet, rarely complimented him on his drawings, for Harry, whilst he was friendly for the most part, was almost obsessively quiet and shy. Another characteristic they chalked up to his genius.

His artistic skills aside, what really kept the office buzzing about the quiet man was his recent pictures in the tabloids with the ever effervescent Rose Tyler. Coupled with a huge bouquet of flowers waiting on the admin's desk for a Harry Saxon, the office was brazen with excitement. Could it be from Rose Tyler, the Rose Tyler of Vitex Industries?

When Harry walked into the office at 9:08am, about 10 minutes later than he usually would come in due to the delays on the underground, the office fell uncharacteristically silent. Harry could feel all eyes on him as he walked in. He paused, the sound of drums in his head all the more loud in the silence of the office. He cleared his throat and the office continued working.

Finally, it was Lisa, the office admin, who spoke up. "Morning, Harry. You have a package this morning."

The office fell silent again. Harry instantly turned red. He was unused to the attention. "Uh, I suppose. Where is it?"

Lisa pointed to the bouquet on her desk. "Reception sent it up. Said it was from a Rose Tyler."

There was a sharp intake of breath all across the room. Harry wished the floor would open up and the earth would swallow him right that moment. Harry clumsily balanced his briefcase, his papers and picked up the bouquet.

"Thank you, Lisa," he said quietly. With not much dignity left, he walked quickly to his office and practically scooted in. Harry Saxon closed the door. He could hear the shrieks and shuffles from outside his office door as his colleagues gathered to gossip. Harry dropped his briefcase and the papers on the floor, but kept the flowers in his hand.

It was a bouquet of sunflowers. He fingered the card. It was from Rose Tyler. "To Mr. Saxon, my great apologies for being unable to pick you up at the hospital. I hope that I could make it up to you one day. Yours, Rose Tyler."

Harry thought about the time when Rose had promised to come and see him at the hospital, but did not turn up. He knew he shouldn't have expected much from the Rose Tyler but he couldn't help but have his hopes up on that day. And when Rose failed to turn up at the hospital on the day she would, Harry had written their 'relationship' off. This was Rose Tyler, after all, she lived her life on the fast lane. She probably had hundreds of men waiting hand and foot on her, and he was just one of the many men who came into her life.

But he really couldn't bear to throw those flowers away. He really should.

He sighed and put them on his desk. Alright, he had a crush on her. It was normal. He'd get one of the admin assistants to put the flowers in a vase or something. He picked up the card and ran his finger through the lettering, noticing that Rose had a loopy handwriting, when the phone rang. He dropped the card.

"Saxon," said Harry as he answered the phone.

"Did you get my flowers?"

Harry nearly dropped the phone in shock. "Rose?"

"It's something small, to make up for what I did to you."

Harry looked at the gargantuan mass of flowers on his desk. "I…uh, suppose."

Rose's chirpy voice toned down a little. For a moment, the confident Rose Tyler sounded a little vulnerable. "Listen, I really am sorry. I can get pretty selfish sometimes. I can't go back in time now but I can only try to make it up to you. Are you…are you free for lunch today?"

Go back in time now? Harry struggled to get his Outlook up to see the appointments he had. He had a lunch appointment with one of his bosses. "Yeah, I should be free," he lied.

"Excellent. I won't let you down this time. I promise. I'll call you up with more details!"

There was a click and the line went dead. Harry still had the phone to his ear. Canceling on his boss for someone who had stood him up once? The same person who in his acquaintance has resulted in an alien life form inhibiting his body?

Just a crush, he reminded himself. Just a small crush..

***

At around 12pm, Harry was starting to become antsy. He wondered if Rose was going to call him or if she was going to stand him up again. He had called up to cancel on his boss, saying that there was an emergency. Putting his career on hold for Rose Tyler. There was a very real possibility that this might be more than a crush but he thought it was best to deal with it later.

Rose finally called at 12:30pm. In his haste to pick up his phone, he knocked down the castle made of pencils and toothpicks he had spent the entire morning making.

"Saxon."

"Hi, it's me."

Harry could not suppress the excitement building up in his chest. It was going to be a struggle to maintain his composure. "Rose."

"Meet me in Hyde Park in about 10 minutes. Will that be alright?"

Harry remembered mumbling something about that would be fine and rushing up to pick up his coat. He all but ran out the door and he did not notice his colleagues starting as he almost crashed out of the office.

***

It was a lovely and sunny day in London, a rarity. Harry walked towards the park, not quite sure where they were supposed to meet as in his haste, he had put the phone down without asking her exactly where. Hyde Park was rather big.

Harry walked around aimlessly, with his hands in his pockets, feeling more than a little daft when he heard a cheery "Harry!". He turned to see Rose in the distance, seated on a picnic cloth under a tree. Harry took off his coat and half-jogged to her.

Rose was seated with a glass of wine in one hand and a book in the other. There was a lavish spread of food from Harry could only guess was some of the finest restaurants in the City. Harry felt stuffy in his shirt and tie, when Rose was dressed in relaxed summer wear.

"I wanted to really make it up to you, I mean, standing up on you after I promised I would see you and especially for putting your life in danger." Rose put both the wine glass and her book down. "Wine?"

Harry nodded. Rose poured a glass for him and motioned for Harry to sit down. For a moment, Harry froze. He couldn't believe his luck. Harry sat down and leaned on the tree, taking the wine from Rose. He was not going to speak, or say anything lest it scare Rose away.

"I hope you're not too angry at me," Rose said.

Harry finally found his voice. "Angry? No." Harry stared at the spread on picnic cloth. "Are you trying to feed an army?"

Rose blushed and Harry thought she looked absolutely beautiful. "No, well. It's from this restaurant. Dad's PA helped me with this. I told her I needed to make it up to a friend after disappointing him a few days ago."

Friend. Of course. Harry could feel his heart plummet. "It is quite a lot, isn't it?" Rose continued, oblivious to the heartache that Harry was going through.

"Um, where do I start?" Harry asked.

Rose looked at the spread. "Good question. They ought to come with a booklet on how to eat at fancy restaurants." Rose picked up on what she thought was a starter. "I had a friend who loved nibbles, but really give me chips any day," Rose rambled before popping the starter in her mouth.

The expression she gave when she ate the starter made Harry laugh. "I think that's alright but I could be wrong." Harry smiled.

She was a wonder. He didn't think she was lying when she said that she preferred chips to a four course meal at an expensive restaurant. She seemed just as confused as he was. But it struck him that Rose seemed at ease wherever she was. Harry began helping himself to the starters.

Conversation was easy between the two. They talked about everything and Harry for one was glad that he did not have to rack his brains to talk about energy drinks. Rose admitted that she did not even like the taste of Vitex. Hobbies? Oh, she liked to travel.

They laughed about something silly Rose said when Rose's face turned pale. Harry followed her gaze and found her looking at an attractive woman with spiky hair. She was walking next to a handsome young man. Ex-boyfriend, Harry reckoned with a sharp pang of jealousy.

The woman seemed to get wind of someone watching her. She stopped and looked around and she saw Rose. Even from that great a distance, Harry could see that she smiled and waved at Rose with affection.

Rose looked surprised. There was longing on Rose's face. Harry nudged her, to go say hello or something. Rose looked at him gratefully before getting up, brushing the crumbs off her lap and walked after the young woman.

Harry felt lonely suddenly, something he chided himself over. He should not be depending on Rose for anything. Really. But he couldn't help wondering if being around Rose meant perpetually reaching for something unattainable and always chasing after her.


	11. Chapter 10: My Fantastic life

**Summary**: Harry tells Rose a little bit of his murky past.

Thank you for reading and reviewing! It is really appreciated!

**Chapter 10: My Fantastic Life**

"Martha!"

Rose half-jogged after Martha. Martha stood waiting, calm and poised whilst her friend looked on a little gobsmacked that Martha knew the Rose Tyler of Vitex Industries.

"Hello, Rose," Martha greeted in kind.

Rose realized she ran after Martha on a whim, but she had not a clue on what she could say to her. She was still so desperate to find someone who could understand what she had gone through and had felt so bitterly cheated when Martha had 'rejected' her. Although, she really shouldn't. She just wished she had a girlfriend she could talk to. Shareen seemed so long ago.

"I…uh…I just want to say I'm sorry for springing that surprise on you.."

Martha's smile was bittersweet. She gave a look to the man next to her, which the man understood sd giving the two women some space. As soon as the young man was away, Martha finally spoke. "I was a little shocked I guess. I was being rude, though. Sorry about that"

Rose could only smile in return. Martha looked at Harry, who was sitting under a tree, trying to entertain himself, poking curiously through the items at the picnic. She frowned. "Who is that?"

Rose raised her brow. She glanced back at Harry, who was playing with the grapes. He reminded her of the Doctor sometimes. "A friend."

Martha stared at him curiously. "I swear," Martha mused. "I must have seen him somewhere but I could be wrong." Martha shrugged and grinned. "We must meet for coffee one day."

Rose felt her spirits lift in ways that she never thought possible. "Sure, that would be fantastic."

Martha's smile faded almost immediately. "He used to say that, you know?" she said softly.

The spirits that lifted Rose crashed with the same grace of a troubled airliner over the Pacific. Sorry, as a zeppelin, they don't really fly here. Flying was passé. "My Doctor did too," Rose mumbled lamely.

Rose expected Martha to judge her. Martha was still mourning for the Doctor, whereas Rose… Rose was a little wary that Martha saw her with another man when she should be mourning.

But Martha laughed. "I bet your Doctor was just full of it."

That was unexpected. "Believe me, there were times he wouldn't stop banging on about how much more wonderful he was," Rose laughed. Martha laughed as well. A connection was made between the two and maybe, just maybe, there was a bit of hope.

Martha cast a knowing glance between Harry and her. "You know how people say they wish they could go back in time and change things, or move forward in time so that we could just wake up one day and be better."

"Yeah."

"You know it isn't like that for the two of us anymore."

Rose shook her head. "Nope. Well, it wouldn't work if we tried. Besides we are supposed to take the slow path."

Martha waved at Harry Saxon. He waved back, a little perplexedly. "Can't mean we have to spend our time mourning." She spoke the last sentence softly. The number of times Martha must have repeated the sentence to herself, Rose would know. She had only repeated the same sentence to herself all too frequently.

Rose nodded at the man who waited idly for Martha. He was curious no doubt of the conversation but out of respect for Martha, he stood aside trying his best not to listen. Or at least appear that he was not listening. "No, of course not. Not if we have yummy doctors waiting for us by our side," Rose said loudly. The man turned a pink shade as he paid tribute to his shoes.

Martha blushed. "I'll catch you around, Rose." Martha gave a wink before walking off, pulling the other doctor away by the arm. Rose could hear Martha's "Come on, you" as her doctor friend said a little dazedly, "Am I yummy?"

Rose smiled to herself before heading back to Harry. Harry pretended to be busy, reading the book that she was reading earlier. Rose grinned.

"Didn't know you were into chick lit," Rose teased as she approached the picnic ground.

Harry hastily put the book down by the cheese platter. "Well, I suppose I was trying to appreciate the finer aspects of, err…women's literature."

Rose sat down next to him and picked the book up. "It's just a bit of rubbish I read, really." She put the book down behind her.

"You like it," he teased.

Rose mock hit him. A comfortable silence fell between them again. Rose rummaged through the picnic basket as Harry looked on at her. "I hope you've started and not waited for me," Rose said. Rose fished out what she presumed to be some sort of gourmet chicken sandwich and peeled off its wrappings.

"Rose," Harry started. "Who was that girl? She looked at me, as though she knew me."

Rose stopped mid-bite. She chewed on the chicken sandwich carefully, figuring out how to answer Harry. Rose swallowed. "I wouldn't know," she confessed truthfully. "I've only just got to know her myself."

"How do you know her?"

Rose was tempted to lie. She was starting to like Harry Saxon, no doubt, but that did not mean she trusted him. It took more than just a background check on a man by Torchwood to gain her trust. Trust was a scarce commodity these days and certainly it was dearer when one was working for Torchwood. Rose merely smiled. "Oh, through a friend," Rose lied smoothly. It wasn't completely untrue.

Harry listened to her words, looking a little disturbed. When he finally spoke again, his voice was compelling and hypnotic. "Tell me, please."

Harry's face was earnest and desperate. She had to help him.

"Martha and I traveled with a man called the Doctor."

"He was your ex?"

Rose shook her head. "He was more than just that to the two of us." Rose looked at the clear blue skies. It was such a beautiful day; the birds were twittering away and people were walking about. It was summer and the kids were playing outside. The buzzing of life made Rose feel unbearably lonely and trapped. The slow path.

"I traveled with him for a long while. So did Martha. Don't ask how we did that, we managed. And we both lost him."

"How?" Harry asked, persistent.

Again Rose felt the compulsion to tell him, despite the brief flash of annoyance that rose in her. "Don't you mean sorry?"

"Sorry. Sorry. I was rude," Harry said bashfully. The spell was broken and Rose felt a little woozy, like she was going underwater for a second and she could finally breathe. She was annoyed at herself but Harry's mournful expression softened any anger she might have felt.

"We were separated," Rose answered cryptically.

Silence again, only this time it was not as comfortable as it was before. It was Harry broke the silence.

"Three years ago, about the time of the Cybermen wars, there was a fire in my home. I remember the Cybermen attacking or at least I think it was the Cybermen. I…" Harry's voice broke as he spoke, his eyes looking years older. "To be honest, I can't really remember."

"I remember everything burning, everything was on fire. I had a friend, even now I don't remember much of him. Just that he irritated me when he was alive. All I could remember was that he saved me, pulled me out of the house. Since the war, I can't really remember much."

"I remember my name," Harry said. "I remember memories. Memories come and go. I lost everything from the wars. The only thing I do remember was waking up in a hospital with only one thing on me."

Rose was taken in by his tale. "What was it?" Rose breathed.

Harry seemed to hesitate before changing his mind. He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out a fobwatch, dull from the lack of polish. He handed it to Rose. Rose traced the carvings on the watch. The circular designs were familiar. They reminded her of the Doctor's writings that he used to carelessly leave on the console. Her heart skipped a beat. Was this possibly a relic of the Time Lords?

"It's broken anyway. Just some old watch."

"Where do you think it's from?" Rose asked tentatively.

Harry took the watch back in his hand, his fingers running through the carvings. The metal was so dull from wear and tear that it did not sparkle in the sunlight. Harry shrugged. "I don't know. Possibly Irish. Looks Irish. I…wish I knew."

Rose remained curious but didn't press further. Harry looked vulnerable. Rose reached her hand out to him and took his hand in hers. He looked a little shocked, and he froze. She squeezed his hand and Harry looked away, possibly to hide the tears that welled in his eyes.

"I'm sorry," Rose murmured gently. "I'm so sorry."

Harry didn't reply. He shrugged and grinned instead. "It was a long time ago, doesn't matter now."

"I could try and help you," Rose said suddenly. A smile lit up Rose's face. "I work with Torchwood and we have means of finding out."

Hope crossed Harry's face. "Torchwood," he said in wonder. "How in the world did someone like you get into something like that?"

"Oi!" Rose mocked protested. "Think a girl like me can't work for Torchwood?"

Harry did not reply. He was melancholy from bringing up his past, distracted. Rose looked on with sympathy.

Harry stopped playing with the grapes. When he looked at Rose, his eyes were tired and old. "I keep feeling, that I lead such an ordinary life now. But I believe, before the fire, I had an extraordinary life. A fantastic one."

For some reason, Rose felt a cold shudder overcoming her. The sun was still high in the sky and the children still laughed. Who are you, Rose thought but dared not voice out. There was something… off about Harry, something not quite right. But she liked him despite it all, and perhaps that was a bad thing.

Her track record, she thought drily, had been anything but good. Jimmy Stones, Mickey Smith and then the Doctor. Jimmy Stones, well, that was phenomenally bad. Mickey was safe, and see where that led to? Right into the arms of mystery and danger itself, the Doctor? With the Doctor, she soared and she flew, she laughed and she danced. Her world was changed forever and they were separated.

So what about Harry Saxon then?

Rose never had a chance to answer when her phone rang, breaking the moment. Irritably, Rose picked her phone up. "Rose."

"Rose, it's Mickey."

She gave a look of apology to Harry for the umpteenth time they were interrupted. "I'm with Harry, Mickey."

"I know, I know. I'm sorry." Mickey's voice lacked humour. "We have a bit of an emergency. It's the Lethe, Rose, we need you at Torchwood."

Rose hung up a little forcefully on Mickey, upon hearing the news.

"Let me guess," Harry said. "You have to run."

Rose shrugged it off. "Just a little work problem. Alien invasion." The spread on the ground remained, barely touched aside from nibbles here and there in between conversation. Must be Tuesday.

"Come with me," Rose said suddenly.

"What?"

"Come with me. If you want a fantastic life again. Come with me to Torchwood. Dad would love to have you working with us. You're smart and everything."

She reached her hand out, in the same way the Doctor had many years ago. Rose could see the slight hesitation on Harry's part. He probably was thinking about the meetings that he had to attend in the afternoon. He probably thought about his career progression and was he throwing it all away to be with a woman he just met?

Harry nodded and took her hand. Rose grinned. Adventure awaited.


	12. Chapter 11: Torchwood Control 1

_In this chapter: Harry discovers what Torchwood is all about right as everything is about to go pear-shaped..._

**Chapter 11: Torchwood Control 1 **

They ran. He took her hand and Rose began to run, leaving their entire picnic behind.

"Shouldn't we be picking them up?" he asked of the picnic stuff as they dived into the tube right as the doors were closing.

Rose looked a little surprised at the question and paused to consider. "I never thought about that," she replied as the train began to move, holding onto the pole. "It just seemed like the Doctor-like thing to do. Sort of get up and run. I forget sometimes I have responsibilities nowadays."

"The one you were talking about? Doctor who?"

Rose laughed. "Just the Doctor."

Harry watched the stations go by with trepidation. Rose was remarkably calm despite the onset of an alien invasion. The train stopped and the doors opened to an empty station.

"London Bridge," the automated voice announced over them. Harry was amazed to see that no one got up to leave at a popular station, but instead merely continued about with their business, either chatting, listening to their iPods or reading the papers.

Rose released her grip on the pole. "Come on!" she said as she went out of the tube onto the station. Harry followed her as the doors closed and the humming of electricity grew louder and the tube rushed out of the station. Rose walked on, her footsteps echoing in the empty platform. Harry followed her as quickly as he could.

The station was eerily empty but Rose seemed unfazed by the odd situation. They walked towards a lift and Rose pressed the up button.

"Identify yourself." The voice, machine altered, seemed to come from everywhere. Harry Saxon jumped but Rose remained impassive.

"Rose Tyler." With a grin, she added, "And friend."

"Identify friend," the voice commanded icily.

Rose motioned for him to identify himself. When Harry found his voice, it was shaky. A matter of time before he made a complete tit of himself. "Harry, uh, Harold Saxon."

The doors of the lift opened. Rose entered and Harry followed suit. The doors closed and Harry felt claustrophobic in the cold metal casing. It felt like a coffin.

"This whole area, we used technology from the aliens. It's a perception filter. People think we're in an ordinary station, they wouldn't even know it's here if they weren't looking."

Harry nodded, not really listening.

The lift doors finally opened after a journey which seemed to take forever. Harry breathed a sigh of relief which stopped short as he came face to face with a displeased Pete Tyler.

"Rose," he said curtly. "Harry."

"Peter." He hoped he sounded a lot manlier than he thought he sounded.

"Dad." Rose cleared her throat, and gave her father a defiant look. "You had said earlier that you wanted to bring Harold on board."

"And you took the liberty of bringing him on board today? At a time of crisis?" Pete asked disdainfully. But Rose took no note, or rather ignored his displeasure.

"I recall that we've recently lost our head engineer. Is there a better time than now for bringing him on board?"

He really ought to say something, instead of having Rose defend him but if only he was a little less, well afraid. Pete Tyler gave him a withering stare before finally nodding. He walked off and Rose sighed. They walked into what seemed to be a big room, filled with PCs, large screens and men and women working frantically in what seemed like a war room situation.

"I should have told you," Rose began.

"That the time Pete Tyler invited me over to discuss about Vitex was really to assess me?" Harry finished.

Rose nodded. A young man came up to the two of them. "Rose!" He scooped Rose into a hug. A brief flash of jealousy rose from the depths of Harry's chest, one that pulled him so tightly and a fury that blazed so strongly. But it disappeared as soon as it came.

"Mickey Smith," the young man said, offering his hand. Harry's smile was cold but tried to receive the handshake as warmly as he could. "Welcome to Torchwood Control 1. We're in a crisis right now, so nice of you to come by."

Harry could tell he was sizing him up. Mickey Smith must have felt a great deal for Rose, based on their interaction. Harry instantly disliked Mickey Smith. Mickey's jovial attitude was ingratiating and he really should stop smiling so much.

As soon as he thought about Mickey's nauseating grin, Mickey Smith turned serious. Blimey, he must be psychic. "Not the best of times to be introduced to Torchwood, Harry. But I guess now is better than ever."

Mickey waved his arm around the dark room filled with computers and screens with men and women working at their terminals frantically. There was a main screen in the front, and many smaller ones showing various parts of London. "Remember that alien that got into your body?"

Harry nodded. "Well, they are called the Lethe. They are gaseous creatures, they can assume the bodies of humans. We reckon they've been planning a world invasion."

"That's a bad thing." Harry said.

"Terrible," Rose supplied helpfully. "But it happens more often than you think."

Harry wasn't sure that this was the fantastic life that he wanted.

Mickey and Rose walked on to one of the screens. On the screen, a group of men and women crowded around one another, their faces blank and empty. More Lethe zombies.

"Thing is, we've identified that the Lethe would begin their invasion today," Mickey said seriously as he motioned towards the screen.

"These people?"

Mickey nodded. "We think they'll start with London today. The whole of UK next. And then the world."

"We have a machine that is powerful enough to suck out the Lethe out of everyone's body," Rose said suddenly. "The whole world."

Mickey's face darkened as he spoke. "We have a slight problem, however."

'We were supposed to have that machine,' Rose corrected herself.

"Our lead engineer. One of the Lethe got to him whilst he was working on the thing. And there's no way we can complete the machine."

Mickey and Rose both gave him a hopeful look.

"Is that why you need me?"

Rose was the first to nod.

"Uh, no!" Harry nearly jumped out of his skin. "There is no way that I could possibly find something like that to work."

Rose and Mickey exchanged a look, their unspoken words were no doubt about him. Harry decided that he definitely disliked Mickey. Harry found his fingers tapping a beat on the table, a nervous habit he had formed a while ago.

Rose pulled him aside to a quieter corner in Torchwood Control. "What's wrong?"

Harry wondered if he was hyperventilating or if it was all in his mind. "Rose, when I mean that I wanted a fantastic life, I didn't think that it'd be immediate!"

Rose grinned with her tongue caught between her teeth, in a way he adored. "Well, a friend of mine said, I'm taking some liberties here with what he said mind you, that a fantastic life was like visiting Paris. You can't complete it by just reading the guidebook, you've got to throw yourself in. Eat the food, use the wrong verbs, get charged double and end up kissing complete strangers."

The alarms in the control Torchwood Control blared suddenly. Peter Tyler appeared next to two. "I think they've started the invasion," Peter said gravely. "Rose, you're in charge of the team on the ground," he instructed.

Rose nodded. She turned to Harry. "I have to get going."

Harry watched her, she was beautiful in her determination. She was strong, stronger than he could ever be. He was inspired by her.

"Help us, Harry."

It was all that she needed to say, to have him for eternity. He was frightened as hell, but he was drawn to Rose as a moth to a flame. If she asked him to walk through fire, he would for her.

"Kiss complete strangers?" he asked.

Rose nodded. On a whim, he leaned over and kissed Rose. Much to his delight, Rose responded. The two of them stopped when they realized, despite the gravity of the situation, the eyes of Torchwood Control were on them. There was a sparkle in Rose's eyes, one he had never seen before.

"I'll see you back in Control," Rose said fiercely as she left. Harry watched as she left, his eyes trailed her as she left hoping that he would be able to fulfill her words.


	13. Chapter 12: The Lethe Invasion

**Chapter 12: The Lethe Invasion**

_Summary: And so, the aliens begin invading earth...._

_A/N: Thanks so much for reading and reviewing! I appreciate it very much!_

The moment Rose stepped out of Torchwood Control into the public, it was chaos. There was a gaseous black substance in the sky and it hovered before shrouding the humans on the road. There were pitiful screams as the Lethe took over the bodies of Londoners.

"Oh, my God," Rose breathed.

David stood next to her, watching the carnage. Wordlessly, he handed her a small vial. "Here, swallow that. That ought to make you immune to the Lethe."

Rose swallowed the vial of colourless liquid. It was bitter. She grimaced. Her other team members made the same face as they swallowed the vial for protection.

"Jake to Control, we're heading to our target," David called out to his earpiece. "Control to Jake, we hear you loud and clear. Good luck, we see the clouds spreading from the Tate Modern to most of Southwark as we speak. I think it will spread even more from there."

"How much time do we have?" Rose shouted into her earpiece over the din of the screams of the humans.

"Two hours maximum before the humans become vehicular automatons for the Lethe," Control replied. 'Lifeless shells.'

Rose jaw tightened as she gritted her teeth. "Come on," she said as she cocked her gun. "We have a job to do."

***

It was Jake who had pulled the short straw of having the honour of driving Harry to their secret location where they kept the machine to draw the Lethe out. The ride was mostly silent, as Jake concentrated on driving at high speed, avoiding the newly formed Lethe-human zombies.

Harry was pale as he watched the people around London fall over. "Does this happen often?"

"Hmm?" Jake asked as he swerved away from another zombie at them. "Oh, more often than you think. A few months back, there was another invasion."

"How come I don't remember that?"

"Attributed to delinquent teenagers on drugs, I think," Jake said casually as he made a sharp corner.

Harry clung onto the dashboard desperately. "Where are we going? Is it where you keep all your alien things?"

Jake gave him a look. "No, that would be the Torchwood hangar." Silence. "You're really getting into the Torchwood hang of things, aren't you?"

"Not really. It was mostly Rose." As soon as he said it, Harry regretted it. It was clear from the predatory gleam in Jake's eyes that Jake was another one of Rose's friends, just like Mickey.

"So, you and Rose," Jake said casually as he drove over a lump on the road with a heavy thunk. Harry fervently prayed that it was not what he thought it was, a dead body. "Are you two serious?"

"I've just met her," Harry replied carefully. The last thing he'd want was to offend Jake and have him throw him out of the car.

"You like her?"

Two psychotic self-proclaimed older brothers and a father with the whole of Torchwood at his disposal as the guardians of Rose's virtue. Within the third time of meeting Rose Tyler, having been dragged into stopping an alien invasion, he really ought to rethink the prospect of this relationship.

But Harry thought of Rose and her special smile of hers and knew that he was completely helpless to her wiles and fancies. "I do."

Jake looked away disinterestedly. "Take care of her or you'd have to answer to both Mickey and me," Jake said in a friendly manner. Jake swerved in again into what seemed like an abandoned warehouse and Harry knocked his head against the window of the car despite being belted to his seat.

***

It was eerily quiet outside the Tate Modern. Black plumes of smoke billowed from the old towers of the art museum. She had a feeling in her gut that it was probably a trap but at this point Torchwood needed to take a chance and shut down whatever operations they were doing, dispersing their fellow Lethe into the human population.

"Stay close," Rose commanded. "They're probably waiting for us."

Her team nodded. "Rose to Control," she barked to her earpiece.

"Yes, Rose?"

"Give us one hour to clear this up. If we fail, I give my clearance for Operation Slate."

***

Harry walked in cautiously after Jake. Jake swept through each room, his gun aimed and ready to fire. There were men and women in white lab coats, collapsed on the floor, presumably dead. Harry shuddered. Around them, however, the computers hummed and sparked away.

"They're all gone," Jake said matter-of-factly. 'Think he tried to wreck the computers as well. Harry, can you see what can be salvaged?' Jake took a few steps away from Harry, to give him a bit of space. "Jake to Control," Jake said to his earpiece. "Harry will be the one working on the machine."

"Well, he'd better hurry," Control replied. "Rose gave her clearance for Operation Slate."

Jake grimaced. "Shit," he swore.

"What is Operation Slate?" Harry asked, knowing full well the answer wouldn't be pleasant.

"It's our codeword for destroying Ground Zero, the point of origin. We haven't had to do it yet since Rose is very effective at clearing Ground Zero."

"What do you mean destroy Ground Zero?"

"Where the Lethe are releasing their people! It's either through some sort of spaceship or more likely, a weak point in time and space. Either way, a good bomb would be enough to wipe it, although that's something we'd like to avoid, wouldn't we? So Mr. Saxon, if you don't mind, we have to hurry and fix what these people couldn't."

Time and space. Rose. Rose dead if he couldn't fix whatever it was they were doing. Harry swallowed. He really wasn't sure if he was cut out for a fantastic life. Surreptitiously, he dipped his hand into his coat pocket, where his fobwatch was, and held it. It usually calmed him but today, for the first time, he heard whispers. Angry whispers. He dropped the watch as though it burned him.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, looking a little concerned. "You look a little concerned."

"I'm fine," he snapped. That was new. Snapping. Harry cleared his throat. "A little nervous, but I should be alright." He walked to the table and picked through the schematics. It was bloody complicated. It'd take him weeks to go through all these. "How long do I have?" he asked, not really wanting to hear the answer.

"An hour. If you're lucky."

But of course. He sat down by the computers and looked at what could be salvaged and worked on. Harry Saxon might have amnesia from three years ago, he might have poor self-esteem, but if there was anything he was sure of, he was a genius.

***

Rose and her team walked cautiously into the Tate Modern. The front door entrances were not guarded; it was a ghost museum. They needed more time to plan this out, not to just barge in like a bull in a china shop.

Oh, the luxuries of Time. A small team of five, five of the most highly trained operatives with Mickey.

"Control to Rose!" her earpiece burst into life. Rose stopped to pay attention but did not reply. "Rose, surveillance believes there is a rift in the Turbine Halls. Try and retrieve the equipment if possible."

Retrieve the equipment? Rose wanted to shout into the earpiece: Shut down an invasion and try not to damage their equipment that's creating a hole in time and space? Which part of her clearance for Operation Slate did Control forget? Equipment retrieval was the last thing on her mind!

"You heard Control. Come on," Rose whispered to her team. Rose motioned to the team to snake into the Turbine Halls. How one was going to do that in possibly the most wide open area of the Tate Modern was beyond her.

***

What was the descent to madness like? Harry wondered if this journey was akin to a journey to insanity?

After a few minutes of staring at papers, Harry gave up. There was no possible way he would be able to do anything to solve this. He ought to be angry, he ought to be furious with Rose for dragging him at the last minute into 'saving the world', but he couldn't find anything in him that remotely resembled anger.

Instead, he found himself invariably touched by her efforts, clumsy as it was. He wanted a fantastic life, she attempted to give him one. And he wanted to live up to her expectations, even if they were impossible.

It was at one of his moments of despair that he grasped the fobwatch, the way he always did when he was stressed or contemplative. The same chill overcame him and he heard the same whispers as he did earlier. He almost let go but something in him told him to persist, to hold on to the watch.

The whispers grew louder. So much fury. He was frightened, he wondered if he was going insane and yet, the papers on the table, the equations on the board and the programs on the PC became frightfully easy. Childlike. Pathetic.

He wondered if the changes were only in his mind. Perhaps it was physical too. Jake was clearly more nervous being around him. Jake's questions of concerns were now greeted with sneers and the occasional insult. Harry had to backtrack, and he apologized profusely.

But as time passed, Harry found himself being not at all sorry.

***

"Now!" Rose whispered.

Rose's team efficiently pounced on an unsuspecting Lethe who was patrolling in the museum, one of her team members, Navin, knocking the Lethe on the head and David gracefully catching the Lethe before he slumped onto the ground. The two men pulled the human/Lethe zombie into the bathrooms.

Inside the bathrooms, another Lethe zombie was slumped over unconscious and tied up. Jessica, the team's medic, scanned the two and shook her head. "No good, I can't tell if they've had the Lethe in them longer than three hours. If I administer anything now, they might die."

Rose nodded. Either way, in three hours' time and if Harry couldn't figure the machine out, they would all die. The least Rose and her team could do was to shut the transdimensional rift first.

"Rose to Control."

"Control here."

"Mickey," Rose's voice was tense. "Are you sure that there are only five of them in the Turbine room. It just seems, I don't know a bit lax for me."

"I know what you mean. It's all too simple, it seems like a trap. But do we have any other choice?"

"How about backup?"

"No can do, babe." Mickey said regretfully. "The rest of Torchwood is out in the city. City is a mess."

Rose grimaced, watching her team at the corner of her eye. They were serious and prepared to die for this cause, as most of Torchwood was, but no deaths, not on her watch. That was the last thing she wanted. There was one last thing, however…

"There's one last thing," Rose began.

"If you're hoping that Pete Tyler would get off his high horse and grovel to UNIT, you have another thing coming. Ow!"

Rose stifled a laugh, knowing that Pete Tyler must have smacked his subordinate on his head. Was this really Torchwood? No, this was family.

"Rose, over and out." She'd been lucky before. Let's hope she was just as lucky today.

***

"I can't do it," Harry said, flinging off the books and papers off the table in anger, almost knocking over a pc terminal that held all the vital data. The act sobered him as he clumsily grabbed the pc from falling off the table.

Jake's eyebrow twitched but aside from that, he did not move to comment or react.

"Sorry, sorry," Harry apologised for the umpteenth time of the hour. He looked at the papers, the solution was at the edge of his mind. Harry walked to the machine, its myriad of flashing buttons and lights. It looked like it came out right out of an old science fiction movie.

He couldn't do it. He just wasn't intelligent enough. Even the fobwatch had grown silent. Harry picked it up and held it, willing for it to give him inspiration, anything. If he couldn't solve it, Rose…

Oh, Rose…

"Open it."

"What?" Harry asked. Jake looked at him strangely. "Did you say something?" Harry asked. Jake shook his head. "I thought you said….never mind."

Jake was about to reply when a crash sounded from the outside. All the blood from Harry's face rushed away.

"They're coming," Jake said seriously. He cocked his gun, and the gleam in his eyes was predatory. "How far are you from completing this thing?"

"I… uh, I can't do it," Harry confessed meekly.

The crashes outside grew louder, as did the voices outside. The Lethe had found them and they were trying to push their way in. "Well, you'd better figure out fast as it looks like we don't have much time, innit?" Jake shouted.

"I don't know what to do!" Harry shouted back, frustrated.

"We don't have time for this. You figure it out while I'm going to try and stop them!"

Jake ran out the room, leaving Harry alone. Harry could hear gunshots as well as yelling right outside. Harry fell to the ground, desperately seeking a place to hide in this wide open area.

***

Rose thought of the Doctor. She thought of the number of times he had crashed into things, crashed into a coup, a dictatorship and overthrown it, coming out alive. She hoped she had half his luck today.

Rose and her team entered the Turbine Room with as much bravado she could muster.

"Hands in the air!" Rose shouted. Her team had their guns ready, aimed at the remaining Lethe in the room. "You are in clear violation of the Shadow proclamation of the right to existence. This is our planet. We ask you to leave or you will be destroyed."

The Lethe zombies, continued working, flicking switches on the transdimensional portal, ignoring Rose.

"I said, hands up!" Rose shouted again. "This is your last chance, I'm warning you."

One of the Lethe at the transdimensional portal stopped flipping switches and turned to face her. He was tall man, with dark hair and a very pale face. His head tilted to one side, a grotesque grin was plastered on his face. He mockingly put his hands up in the air. "Rose Tyler," he spoke. "You were wondering how come there were only five of us in here."

Rose flinched but tried to keep the emotions from surfacing.

"Oh, where, oh, where are the security?" the Lethe continued mockingly. "Why do we need security when we have this?"

Rose could hear the clang of weapons falling to the floor. She knew she shouldn't but Rose turned her head. She could see Jessica and Navin dropping their weapons, seizing her other two members' weapons and holding them down.

Lethe-zombies within her own team. Torchwood was exceptionally careless today.

"You call yourself Torchwood. Defenders of the earth," the Lethe spat. He came closer to Rose, who cocked her weapon and kept it on the Lethe. He did not shy away from the threat of injury. "You did not even know that we were telepathic, did you? I can call on my people at any time."

A number of Lethe zombies entered the room. At first Rose could see ten men, and then twenty. Thirty more entered the Turbine room. Soon the room was overflowing with Lethe zombies, humans under the control of the Lethe. A man joined the Lethe that was talking to her, a man she recognized once as Torchwood's lead engineer.

Rose dropped her weapon. "I'm sorry, Control. We're in a bit of pickle now," Rose said drily. No response from Control either. Torchwood's Control was probably overrun by an inside job that took over her team.

She knew when she was lost. It was all up to Harry now.

***

He was not someone who could lead a fantastic life. He was just plain Harry Saxon, engineer and physicist. He was-

"Open it," the voice began again.

Harry's heart was beating very hard and fast; he could hear it in his ears and feel each beat in his chest.

"Who are you?" he finally voiced out.

"I am you," the voice replied. The voice was calm and cool.

"I'm hearing things," Harry whispered. "I'm just hearing things."

"Open the watch, Harry."

The crashes outside and the shouts grew louder. Finally, there was silence. Harry felt irrefutably alone.

"Don't you want to save Rose, Harry?"

Rose.

"You could save Rose, Harry. What will she say if she knows that you failed Harry."

Harry could hear footsteps headed towards the room. Footsteps. Jake must have not survived the encounter with the Lethe.

"Or would you rather ask her dead body?"

Harry frantically got up and tried to concentrate on figuring out how to get the machine working. He typed frantically, whatever that came to his head, whatever configurations he could think off.

"Harry?" Jake called out. "It's alright, they're gone now."

Except, Harry thought wryly, you're no longer Jake, are you? As Harry worked, he could see from the corner of his eye, the silhouette of Jake and other men, Lethe zombies walking in. Harry could feel sweat beads forming on his forehead from fear.

"Harry," the voice from the fobwatched sing-songed. "Open me and save Rose."

I need more time, Harry thought frustratingly. "Open me, Harry," the voice taunted. "You will have all the time in the world. No, the universe!"

"Harry?" Jake called out once more.

Harry turned around and saw Jake and a few other men coming towards him. Harry swallowed but found his throat and mouth were dry.

Rose.

He clutched the fobwatch and made a decision.


	14. Chapter 13: The End of the World

_**Su****mmary**: The world is ending. But whose world exactly?_

_**Author's Notes**: Thank you so much for the reviews and reading. I noticed that in my previous chapters, the formatting had run off slightly, I'm not quite familiar with FF these days to understand why some of the my breaks had disappeared! But thank you for being patient and putting up with paragraphs running on!_

**Chapter 13: The End of the World**

Rose put her hands up in the air, her mind ticking away, forming a plan that hopefully should work this time, despite all the odds she was stacked up against. Like how hard could it be? All she needed to do was to stop the transdimensional portal from leaking away more of the Lethe into the humans, depend on Harry to finish the machine, and stop a world invasion. Easy peasy.

The leader of the Lethe was next to her, sniffing her, his fingers running down her face. Rose was repulsed but maintained a certain coolness about her. Never let them know how much they bother you.

"You're immunized," he whispered into her ear. "You're not becoming one of us." The Lethe pushed Rose down to the floor. Rose fell hard, but kept her eyes trained on her gun. When the moment was right, she'd jump for it and —

Gunshots rang over her head. The Lethe-zombies were not soldiers, and they were unused to the sounds of battle. The moment they heard the sounds of gunfire, they panicked. Soon there was chaos in the Turbine Room as the Lethe threw themselves at each other in their scramble to get out of the Turbine Room.

"My people!" the leader of the Lethe screamed. "Calm yourselves!" he commanded to no avail.

Rose could see a team of uniformed men and women running into the Turbine Room to immobilize the Lethe. Rose grinned, feeling her spirits lifted for the first time since the whole episode. Pete Tyler had swallowed his pride and called the Brigadier from UNIT. With the leader of the Lethe distracted, Rose dived for her gun on the floor and in one graceful motion, stood up and took aim at the transdimensional portal.

The Lethe leader, amidst the chaos, saw Rose and realized her intentions. With a roar he charged at Rose. Rose had a split second to decide either to defend herself or destroy the portal. The choice was obvious; she never took her eyes off the portal. Rose aimed and shot, short-circuiting the machine and shutting it down. She braced herself for the Lethe to take her life away.

"Oh, no, you don't!" shouted a familiar voice. Rose grinned, recognizing the voice. There was a flurry of black as a figure ran at them, aiming a roundhouse kick to the Lethe's head. The Lethe collapsed to the ground with a sickening crack.

Rose turned around and greeted her saviour. "Doctor Martha Jones! So good of you to come by! I didn't know you're with UNIT"

"Rose Tyler of Torchwood. So good of you to call on UNIT's help," she said, offering her hand. Martha slipped her gun into her holster. "Although next time, it would be much appreciated if Torchwood's Director gave UNIT a little more notice of alien invasions."

Rose grinned, feeling so much better amidst all the chaos and cacophony in the Turbine room. UNIT's soldiers were taking control, battling the Lethe zombies, immobilizing them. There was a way out of this mess just yet.

"Rose!" Rose's earpiece burst into life.

"Mickey!" Rose exclaimed. She grinned at Martha whose team was systematically taking out the Lethe one by one. "UNIT's here. Thank Dad for me. They couldn't have come at a better time."

"Torchwood Control is back under our control," Mickey confirmed exuberantly. But his tone immediately took a dip. "But it's not all good news, babe."

The smile on Rose's face faded almost instantly. "What's wrong?"

"It's Jake and Harry. They're not responding to calls from Torchwood Control."

Rose swallowed, her heartbeat started to race. Harry was their only hope. She had put Harry in mortal danger. How foolish and selfish was she. "I'll check on them immediately," Rose said..

"You know, in half an hour we're all a bit screwed up here," Martha said as she immobilized one of the Lethe. "If what Pete Tyler said is true, we need to get the Lethe out of people or we'll have two-thirds of the planet under the influence of the Lethe permanently."

"Two-thirds already?" Rose breathed out.

Martha nodded. "According to UNIT's calculations."

"Our only hope in saving the planet is not responding to Torchwood's calls," Rose commiserated bitterly.

Martha's expression was unreadable. She reached inside her jacket and handed to Rose what looked to her like a sonic screwdriver. Rose could feel her breath catch in her chest.

"Martha…"

"If there's some way this could help you, use it," Martha said fiercely. "Although, I'm fully expecting you to return this," Martha finished with a grin.

"You can count on it," Rose answered just as fiercely before running out of the Tate to Harry and Jake.

*******

Harry spun around, clutching the fob watch tightly in his hand. He watched as Jake stood in front of a group of men, each men lacking the whites in their eyes, only a sea of black.

Harry trembled and struggled to keep his composure. "Jake," he managed to say.

"How much have you done, Harry?"

"Enough," Harry lied. He needed more time. Just a little more time.

Jake tilted his head, in an unnatural position. "How much is enough, Harry? Enough to destroy us?" Jake pulled out his gun, ready to shoot the machine that was designated to save mankind.

"Whoa, whoa there!" Harry interrupted. God, he was frightened out of his wits but he really ought to blag his way out of this. "Do you want to kill all of us?"

Lethe-Jake and the other Lethe-humans looked at him dangerously. "Do you even know how much electricity, how much wattage that machine is generating? Shoot it and you're going to kill us all."

Lethe-Jake looked at him skeptically. "Hey, if you don't believe me you can check it out yourself," Harry challenged.

Harry could feel the adrenaline surging through him, the tension unbearable as he waited to see if the Lethe would fall for his ploy. Lethe-Jake hesitated. Not good. He needed to convince Lethe-Jake that he was being honest.

"I'm sure if you were to go through Jake's memories, you would know I'm speaking the truth," Harry said carefully.

Lethe-Jake paused as he rummaged through its host's mind. The Lethe-Jake's momentary lapse pushed Harry to act. He ran to the machine and dived behind it amidst the rain of bullets from the other Lethes.

This was insanity. With death imminent, the only thing he could think of was the watch… the watch and Rose. Harry crouched behind the machine, shivering. The fob watch felt hot in his hands. The drums in his head were pounding. The whispers grew louder with words and languages he had never heard of but understood. Intermingled with the fear was fury. He was angry, no, he was furious and he wanted to kill, to maim, to destroy.

"Open it," the watch sang. "Time, the universe, all in your hands. Open the watch, Time Lord."

Harry instinctively understood. This was what he needed to do and this was the right thing to do.

He thought of Rose, as he flipped the watch open.

There was a flash of gold and tendrils of light, and the man once known as Harry Saxon ceased to exist.

*******  
Rose drove haphazardly, as fast as she could avoiding the Lethe-ridden humans throwing themselves in front of her car as she drove. She was functioning on instinct, she did not want any doubt to creep in her mind; she was running on adrenaline, her thoughts were on the two men and the mission. She had to focus to getting to Harry and Jake as fast as she could and not imagine any possible scenarios of either men being maimed, hurt or — No, she was not going there.

Was this the end of mankind as she knew it? No, she thought sharply. She had faith in Harry and Jake. She believed that the two of them would be able to save them all. There was something in Harry, something that she saw today that reminded her of the Doctor. He would be able to. He had too.

Rose raced down London, pedal to the metal. It was adrenaline that was fueling Rose, her senses were extra sharp as she swerved over bodies on the road and the zombies on the street.

Come on, Harry, she chanted in her head like a mantra.

Rose was close to the abandoned warehouse that Torchwood had set up their lab in when a miracle happened. The Lethe-humans that were chasing her stopped in their tracks. And with an unearthly wail that echoed across London, they fell to the ground. All around her, all over the streets of London, black gaseous substance pouring out of the nostrils and mouths of each infected human being, out into the air. Like massive clouds being pushed by the wind, the black gaseous substance was being sucked in towards the warehouse.

"Yes!" Rose screamed in delight. Harry did it! They did it! She pushed the car harder and faster than she had ever driven, tearing down the streets of London and pulled up by the street where the warehouse was situated.

The car tyres screeched as she hit the brakes. Rose pulled up the hand brake and jumped out of the car, the sonic screwdriver in her hand, gun in her holster, ready for anything. Despite the euphoria, at the back of her mind, she was cautious. Years in Torchwood had taught her to be careful, nothing is at it seems and things could go wrong within a second.

But Rose was feeling a little more confident than usual, with the weight of the sonic screwdriver in hand. She missed holding this, the sonic screwdriver in her hand, she missed the feel of the cool alien metal and most of all, she missed what it could do. She had been with the Doctor long enough to know some of its settings and was pleased to find that this universe's sonic screwdriver was not very different from the one back in her universe.

Rose entered the warehouse and went through a myriad of mazes before finding her way into the lab. The air was warm and humid from the heat generated by the machine pulling out the Lethe inhabiting the humans of the planet. The last thing Rose wanted to do was to accidentally switch the machine off.

"Harry? Jake?" Rose called out gingerly. Rose put the sonic screwdriver in her pocket and pulled out her gun. The scanners said there was no one, but Rose would rather be safe than sorry.

"Harry! Jake!" Rose called out again, louder this time and less forceful. As Rose walked towards the machine, she saw the men sprawled on the ground. They were no longer breathing. One of them, Rose recognized with horror, was Jake.

"Jake!" Rose rushed over, kneeling beside him. His face was bloodied and his breathing was shallow. Rose looked at his body; there was a gunshot wound on his chest. There was blood everywhere.

"Rose to Control!" Rose's voice quivered as she spoke.

"Control here."

"We need an ambulance here at the Torchwood labs. Agent Jake Simmonds is down, I repeat, Agent Jake Simmonds is down."

Rose grasped his hand. "Hold on, Jake. Torchwood is coming for you." Jake coughed and he opened his eyes, being aware for the first time of Rose's presence. He tried to speak but his voice was hoarse and weak.

"Don't say anything, Jake. We can talk when you're better," Rose said.

"Harry…" was the last word Jake said before falling back into unconsciousness. Rose's held onto his hand just a little tighter, squeezing it as she waited whilst her eyes remained ever-watchful for Harry Saxon.

*******

Only a few moments ago, the warehouse was quiet with only Rose holding Jake's hand as he struggled to hold onto his life. The warehouse now was abuzz with life and movement as Torchwood's medical personnel rushed to save Jake's life. The other teams, including Torchwood's scientists were already there examining the machine Harry worked on, trying to figure out what he did to save the world.

The sweeper team had come around, clearing bodies and people who were recently de-possessed by the Lethe, while furiously attempting to revive anyone who was found alive. Rose had joined them in their search, her eyes trained for Harry Saxon, who seemed to have disappeared into thin air. Eventually, they stopped looking for Harry and concentrated on the survivors at the scene.

Rose stood at a distance, watching Torchwood's professional team do their work impassively. Her mind was so far away that she didn't realize who it was when Mickey hugged her from behind. Rose jumped, startled from the sudden embrace. But the shock was momentary; she recognized the embrace as Mickey's and turned to hug him tight. She looked up and saw a scruffy and worn out Pete Tyler next to them. Mickey let her go and she embraced her father who held her just as tightly, dropping a kiss on her hair.

"Good job, Rose," Pete said, his voice was tight from emotion.

"Thanks for calling UNIT, Dad," she replied.

She let her dad go and held onto Mickey once more, leaning her head on his shoulder. Mickey put an arm around her waist and did not say a word. They were too close to the end of the world, too close to losing everything. The body count was high today, so much higher than what Rose was used to.

"Have you seen Harry Saxon?" Pete Tyler finally asked, voicing the question no one dared to ask.

Rose shook her head. "I…I couldn't find him. I don't know where he is."

It was another sobering moment for the Torchwood team. The man who saved the planet was nowhere to be found, another casualty to their war in defending the earth.


	15. Chapter 14: Life Moves On

**Summary**: For some inexplicable reason, when tragedy hits and consumes you, the sun continues to rise...

**Author's Notes**: Thank you so much for your kind words on the reviews! It really meant a lot to me :-) Happy reading!

**Chapter 14: Life Moves On**

The church bells rang as Rose walked out of the church with the crowd. The crowd was quiet, exchanging muted pleasantries with each other. Rose stood amidst the people for a moment, waiting to find a chance to speak with the Joneses.

Francine Jones' eyes lit up when she saw Rose. She embraced Rose and thanked her for coming. Rose hugged Clive and Tish as well. Tish's eyes were red from tears. Finally, she hugged Martha for whom, Rose understood, the memorial was more than just the death of her younger brother, Leo during the Cybermen Wars. It was to commemorate her Doctor's death. For Rose, it was to commemorate the memory of Darlig Ulv Straden.

"Thanks for coming," Martha said, as she hugged back.

Rose shook her head. "It was no problem at all." The smile on Rose's face was subdued somewhat, and an air of sorrow hung over Rose. Not for the first time since her careless youth did Rose feel the pain of loss — an aching wound that despite what people said — never seemed to recover with time. Loss for the Doctor, loss for the members of her team in their battle against the Lethe and the loss of Harry Saxon, her friend that she was only beginning to get to know. The man who gave his life to save the world.

The weeks strolled by and the weather changed. The green leaves gave way to the warm brown and gold that marked autumn. Rose met up with Martha more frequently and in less dire circumstances in those days. On some occasions, it was for work as both were put to a memorandum of understanding between Torchwood and UNIT. On other occasions, they met up for tea, to talk about fashion, celebrity gossip and occasionally to reminisce about the Doctor.

"You never did find him, did you?" Martha asked.

"Who?"

"Harry Saxon."

Rose stirred her coffee and looked out of the window of the Café Turtle. This was where the two of them frequently met for coffee.

"No," Rose finally said. "We never did. He never did turn up for work anymore. He stopped frequenting his usual places. It's like he disappeared off the face of the earth."

Martha did not say anything but Rose knew her expression said it all. The Joneses never found Leo's body. They never stopped looking for Leo. It was only through Martha's work in UNIT that they found Leo as one of the victims of "upgrading".

"You know, the day he disappeared was the third time I met him. Would it be strange to say that I was starting to like him," Rose confessed. "He was in a way like the Doctor. And in a way not."

"It's like the ex-wives club," Martha noted drily. "We come together based on our first husbands and now we discuss our future boyfriends."

Rose laughed. She drank her coffee as she looked into the skyline. The sky was blue today, but despite the sunny outlook it was a bitingly cold day. "Don't you miss it?" Rose asked.

"What?"

"The universe, the stars, and the time traveling."

Martha paused to consider. Her smile was bittersweet. "Sort of. I miss the adventure a bit. But I kept thinking, if only I didn't stay on too much longer with the Doctor, maybe Leo would be alive."

Rose nodded. "Martha…" Rose started again, broaching the subject of the Tardis slowly.

"I know what you're going to say, Rose!" Martha interrupted. With a big grin, she shook her head. "It's still a no."

"I think she misses you!" Rose protested.

"Well, I miss her too!" Martha replied with a laugh. The laughter faded to melancholy as Martha reminisced. "It's too much memories for now. The Doctor, Leo. I didn't come back in time for Leo. And that was the last time I ever saw the Doctor. Now he's gone too. I had fond memories of the Tardis… I don't want to see her dying."

Rose had no answer to that.

"Is she, though?" Martha asked.

"I don't know. There was that one time, when I saw… the Doctor. And aside from that, I can't tell. It's just so quiet in there."

Martha's expression was unreadable. Rose wondered if she had said the wrong thing but Martha brought up the latest escapades of Lucy Cole, the Lord Cole of Tarminster's daughter, heiress to the Cole fortunes and current favourite tabloid fodder, and the issue was altogether forgotten.

*******

It was dinner at the Tylers' and whilst Rose was there with Jackie and her brother Tony, Pete Tyler himself was missing. Despite the ridiculous amount of wealth, and the manservants, maids and cooks at Jackie's disposal, dinner time was as always chaotic, disorganized and cozy. Rose was especially glad that some things never changed and that her mum remained her mum despite all the money she now had. It would have been too easy for Jackie to succumb to this new lifestyle. There were the occasional indulgences but nothing too extravagant. Rose was proud of her mum.

As it was however, the Tyler household was perpetually chaotic. Tony, Rose's younger brother who had just turned three, was running around and Jackie who insisted that there were to be no nannies to take care of Tony, was running after him in the family room. The TV was switched on, blaring the news.

Rose watched her younger brother give their mum a hard time before climbing onto the sofa next to her. He grabbed the remote off her hand and switched the channel to a kiddie show.

"Oi, you!" Rose laughed teasingly. Jackie, who looked flustered, collapsed next to Rose. Jamie snuggled up to his sister.

"I don't know what I'm going to do with this little monkey," Jackie complained, taking the remote from Jamie. She flipped the channel back to the news. Tony's eyes widened and filled with tears.

"Mum," Rose intervened.

But Jackie waved her finger at Tony. "That's enough, Tony. No more telly for today. Why don't you let your sister watch something?" Tony was about to cry when Rose put her arm around him which seemed to settle him.

Rose smiled as she turned to watch the news. There wasn't anything really interesting on, aside from — Rose rolled her eyes — the new controversy that Torchwood and UNIT were currently embroiled in. She wanted to flip the channel, but this was work and she really ought to pay attention to it. Rose turned up the volume.

"President Harriet Jones is ordering an inquiry on Torchwood as pressure mounts from the House of Commons on Torchwood's role. The inquiry will be led by Lord Cole of Tarminster," the TV blared.

Rose flicked the channel to Tony's cartoon channel the moment Lord Cole came on the screen. He was such a spiteful man. Spiteful and ungrateful. Did he forget what Torchwood did and are still doing in clearing out the Cybermen? Rose sighed. With Lord Cole doing an inquiry, it would be a matter of time before things got all the more difficult in Torchwood.

"Your father's the same," Jackie mused. "When he sees that Lord Cole's face on the telly, he gets all wound up."

"Well, he's been making life all the more difficult for us in Torchwood. Forms in triplicates. Justify your course of action. Please explain why weapon A for raid B was better than using weapon C. Break your cost down. It's as though aliens do forms in triplicates to invade the planet."

The cartoon characters on the telly laughed at the end of Rose's tirade as though to mock Rose. Tony laughed along gleefully. "Even you're against me aren't you?" Rose said, dropping a kiss on Tony's head.

Jackie frowned, deep in thought. "Is that the reason why Pete's home so late? Tony's going to grow up without a father at this rate."

"Sort of," Rose said, her voice trailing away, distracted as she watched along with her brother, Shaun the Sheep. Was she ever grateful that there was a little bit of her old universe, some days things were just, pardon the term, rather alien here . "It's mostly about the Archangel network."

Jackie didn't press on and they watched Shaun misbehave on the television in silence.

"I don't see you as often, Rose. I think Pete sees you more than I do," Jackie suddenly said.

Rose bit her bottom lip. When she turned to look at her mum, there was a plaintive look on Jackie's face which broke her heart.

"I can't help it, Mum. Aliens don't actually give that much notice when it comes to invading the earth," Rose joked, trying to lighten the mood. But the disappointment was evident on Jackie's features despite Rose's attempts to dissuade her.

"I saw more of you when you were travelling with the Doctor," said Jackie, her tone a little hurt. "I don't even know how you are. Are you eating right? Is Pete taking care of you properly? Are you seeing someone?"

Rose bit her tongue, holding back from shooting a "I can take care of myself, Mum." It wouldn't have been fair on her mother. Rose sighed. "I'm eating fine. Dad takes care of me. And… I was," she finally said. "I was seeing someone. If you could call it seeing someone."

"What happened then?" Jackie's interest piqued.

"I saw him three times before he…" Rose took a deep breath. "He…he, um, died." Rose found her eyes unexpectedly welling up with tears. "I got him mixed up in some things that he shouldn't have been mixed up in. He saved the world but he's dead now. It's all my fault, Mum. I caused him to die."

There was a dam in Rose that she didn't know existed. And it broke that night. The tears flowed freely as Rose sobbed for the first time in months since Harry's disappearance. If Jackie was surprised at Rose's sudden change in countenance, she did not show it. Jackie pulled Rose to her as Rose sobbed the guilt and the heartache away.

*******

Pete finally came home after Jackie threatened him with bodily harm if he did not leave his work. He rushed back and dinner was served. It was family time, something that happened so rarely and infrequently these days due to pressing work commitments. Rose watched her dad play with Tony and her mum nattering on about something, she wasn't really paying attention.

The conversation was light and there was plenty of laughter around the dinner table. Rose wondered for a second if she could see herself as a mother and a family of her own, in the exact same position. It seemed a little too domestic for her. She laughed inwardly at the thought of turning into the Doctor, her other Doctor.

Which begged the question, did she want a life this way? Despite her extraordinary life chasing aliens, perhaps she wanted more than just to chase aliens during the day and settle down with a husband and kids at home in the evening.

Pete Tyler said something scandalous about a neighbour of theirs which elicited laughter from Jackie. Rose cracked a smile. She more than understood the Doctor's need to keep running and keep adventuring. As lovely as all of this was, sometimes Rose couldn't help but feel trapped.

Rose's thoughts were interrupted by her phone ringing. She looked at the Caller ID. It was Mickey. Jackie shot her a dirty look. "Rose, what did I say about the phone at the dinner table?" At the same time, Pete's phone went off and Jackie threw her hands in the air. "I give up. Would it ever be possible for us to ever have a quiet sit down dinner?"

"Sorry, Mum," Rose apologized but she got up from the dinner table and stood outside their dining room. "Hi, Mickey."

"Rose, it's the Tardis," Mickey replied urgently. Rose felt the concern growing in her. "One of our staff alerted us about it. Something's happening to it."


	16. Chapter 15: The Tardis Speaks

**Summary**: Just what is wrong with the Tardis?

**A/N**: I find the responding system in ff net a little weird, but I thought I'd let you know that I read and appreciate every review I get! Thanks so much and happy reading!

* * *

**The Tardis Speaks**

Rose and Pete both decided to leave the Tyler residence, to Jackie's dismay. Rose muttered something about work in Torchwood Hangar with an urgency that Jackie had associated only with the Doctor. On the other hand, Pete had paled from his phone call, grabbed his coat that he had carelessly thrown over his chair in the dining room and struggled to put his tie on with one hand whilst holding onto his briefcase in the other.

Rose hugged Jackie, kissed on the cheek as she left the house, promising tea, shopping, yes and a girl's day out, of course, promises she knew she couldn't keep. She hugged her dad goodbye who was far too distracted to return the hug properly.

"I might have to call on you later this evening," Pete said to Rose as they walked out the house.

Rose nodded. "Sure, Dad."

Rose got into her car whilst Pete got into his and they rushed off to their respective emergencies. Rose drove as quickly as she could to the Torchwood hangar. Mickey wouldn't say what the situation was over the phone, just that he sounded rushed and more than concerned.

Mickey was always on the ball. Although, Rose wished he'd actually stop working one of these days and find himself a girlfriend. Mickey was married to his job really.

Rose pulled into the parking lot of the Torchwood Hangar. She got out of the car and sprinted in the direction of the Tardis. What exactly did Mickey mean by noises inside the Tardis?

Having passed through security, signing in her name and forms in triplicate, she found Mickey and Jake standing with their arms folded next to the Tardis.

"Took you long enough," Mickey said.

She shot him a dirty look. "Any more of the Lord Cole's recommendations and I would need a chaperone to move anywhere."

Jake shrugged at her comment.

"So what's the big fuss?" Rose asked. The Tardis looked the same as it always did, unlit and, Rose hesitated before using the word, dead.

"The guy at security, what's his name?" Jake started.

"James," Rose supplied.

"Yeah, James. He called up saying the T-A-R-D-I-S was making noises," Jake continued a little mockingly.

"Was he looking at the Tardis? I thought we had a standing order to keep away!" Rose asked, a little annoyed.

"Well, you know what he's like," Mickey said. Everyone knew what James was like, the exasperating and ineffable busybody. "He was snooping around when he heard sounds coming like from the inside of the Tardis."

Rose casted a glance at the Tardis which stood next to them, silent. She had not even told Mickey about how she had entered the Tardis. A pang of guilt awashed over Rose. Mickey was the closest thing she had to a brother and he was her best friend. She should not be hiding things, but since the Doctor, she found it more difficult to share her thoughts and feelings with anyone.

"It's quiet now," Rose said, cautiously.

"It gets like this. Just wait for a bit," said Jake.

As if on cue, the lights of the Tardis flickered and beeped and what sounded like the Time Rotor started. Rose thought she would never hear the sweet sounds of the Tardis. Rose half expected the Tardis to dematerialize as the Time Rotor grew louder. But then it stopped as soon as it started and the lights flickered off.

Rose released her breath that she didn't realize she was holding. Mickey and Jake were unperturbed by the noises the Tardis made having witnessed them a few more times whilst waiting for Rose to arrive.

"It goes in cycles of 3 minutes. It starts up, does the same thing. Lights switch on, the time rotor starts and then it stops," Mickey said.

Rose paused for a moment before pulling out the chain around her neck. Mickey and Jake both watched her with bated breath as she inserted her Yale key into the lock.

"Do you think it would turn?" Mickey asked. "It didn't the last time."

Rose wondered if she should tell him that she had stepped into this Tardis before. She decided against it for now. Rose turned the key and the lock turned smoothly.

"Whoa!" Jake cried out. "That didn't happen before."

"Sshhh! Keep it down! We don't want James to come looking here, do we?" Mickey snapped at Jake. Mickey shot an accusing look at Rose. She was not going to entertain his suspicions and shrugged Mickey's concerns off. She had the right to privacy. Rose opened the door of the Tardis and entered with Mickey and Jake following suit.

The Tardis was dark, as dark as the first time she entered, with the lights at a minimum. "It looks the same," Mickey breathed out as they bounded in. Jake was just as awestruck. "It's bigger on the inside!" he said giddily.

If the situation was not so strange, Rose would have laughed. She wondered if the Doctor was tired of hearing "Bigger on the inside" from all his companions.

"Is it the Doctor's Tardis?" Jake asked.

"I think it is a Tardis, just not the Doctor's Tardis. As in not my Doctor's Tardis. But a Doctor's Tardis," Rose replied. They walked towards the console. Rose stared at the console, it did not seem like anything had changed since she last stepped into the Tardis. The screen remained dead. Even the presence that Rose felt in her mind when she last entered the Tardis, remained aloof and absent.

"Do you think it's safe being here?" Jake asked nervously. Mickey cast a glance at Rose. "I don't know, what do you think Rose?"

"The Tardis won't hurt us," Rose replied automatically. Silence fell between the three as they sat and waited for the Tardis to start up again.

After three minutes, the Tardis started. The lights flickered on, and Rose could see a myriad of numbers, writings that Rose recognized must be Gallifreyan flickered on the screen. The Time Rotor whirred into life and Rose unconsciously grabbed onto the rails behind her, for fear of the Tardis dematerializing. The floors of the Tardis rumbled.

"What's going on?" Mickey shouted over the din.

"I don't know!" Rose shouted back. She looked at the screen. "There are like numbers and writings I don't recognize, it's spewing out. It's like the Tardis is computing something or rather."

Rose felt a presence in her mind, pushing her to reach out to the console, to one of the buttons. She reached out and sparks flew. Rose thought she could hear singing, vaguely hearing Mickey calling out her name before the world went black.

*******  
The first thing that hit Rose when she slowly regained consciousness was the smell of apples. Specifically, apple grass. She slowly sat up, rubbing her head. The sun was shining and from a distance she could make out New, New York. She was on New Earth. That was odd. Did the Tardis take her here?

"Hello Rose," said a familiar voice.

Rose froze. She recognized the voice. She turned around slowly to find a tall, thin man standing by the Tardis, staring at her wistfully.

It was her Doctor and yet, not her Doctor. It was him, in all his pin-striped and impossible hair glory, and yet, by the way he stood, by the way he tilted his head and looked at her affectionately, Rose just knew it was not her Doctor.

"Rose, my wonderful and very brave Rose," the Doctor said.

"You're not," Rose stuttered. "You're not the Doctor."

The not-Doctor shook his head. He walked to her, kneeling on the ground next to her. "No, I'm not. I'm really a figment of your imagination."

She gave the not-Doctor a dirty look.

"No, really, really I am. You see, the Tardis accessed your memory to create a sensory illusion, something inside that you'd feel safe with so that she could ask you a question. For some reason or the other, she chose to model it on me," he grinned as he sat down next to her.

The imaginary Doctor spoke so cheerfully, that it tore at her heart. It could have been her Doctor speaking to her.

"Okay, so the Tardis is modeling you to ask me a question. Why can't she have modeled it on Mickey for one?"

The Doctor looked affronted at the suggestion. "Rickey the idiot! Why on earth, or any universe for that matter, would you want to see Mickey here? It's like Harry trusting Ron to be his Lifeline."

"He'd call Hermione," Rose remembered. Rose smiled at the nostalgia. "You know, I never knew what happened in the seventh book. Fell into a parallel world that didn't have Harry Potter."

The Doctor opened his mouth to answer before he finally closing it. "I really wouldn't know," he answered ruefully. "It is a different universe after all." The Doctor's mood turned serious.

"Rose, there is an alien looking for me. For the Tardis," the Doctor said.

"Do you know what alien?" Rose asked.

"Not a friendly one," he answered truthfully. "The Tardis had been using my spare energy to shield myself from his survey signals. What is left, the Tardis is using to create this world."

"Signals?" Rose felt a bit like a fish out of water. Despite the Tardis taking the form of the Doctor, this Doctor seemed just as perplexing as the real one. In fact, the look that the Doctor gave her was spot on to the same look her Doctor used to give her, as though she had dribbled on her shirt.

"Would you look after the Tardis, Rose?" the Doctor pleaded. His brown eyes were wide and desperate that Rose almost forgot that this was not the Doctor. Her heart went out to him.

"I will," Rose replied defiantly.

"We need to move the Tardis. She needs to be refueled. She's dying."

"We'll get a team, we'll bring the Tardis to Cardiff."

The Doctor looked a bit confused at her suggestion, but did not bother to entertain his confusion. "It needs to be flown there," the Doctor continued urgently. "The Tardis circuitry is incomplete."

The Doctor's words made gave a chill down her spine. The words reminded her of the clockwork machines, those robots on that spaceship who used human body parts to complete the machinery — the Doctor's body parts as a part of a Tardis' circuitry. The Doctor sensed her discomfort and his expression softened.

"A Tardis dies without a Time Lord," the Doctor explained. He laid a hand on her arm. "I would not do anything to hurt you," the Doctor said seriously. He paused before continuing. "The Doctor would never allow me to hurt anyone."

Rose nodded.

"Fine, what do you need me to do?"

The Doctor touched her by the side of her head. "I'm going to read your mind now Rose. I need to assess if you're physically capable of taking on the Tardis." He frowned as the Doctor, no, this was not the Doctor, the Tardis entered her mind. "You have an inhibitor put in your mind. That's amazing. No, more than amazing. That's fantastic."

The Doctor grinned, his smile was manic. "The Doctor chooses his companions well. You are more than worthy of carrying the honour of Bad Wolf."

A switch seemed to go off in her mind. The world around her started to spin. Night turned to day and then night again. The apple grass of New New York grew before dying. Trees grew and died overnight and relived again. Rose was about to lose consciousness when she saw the Doctor catching her.

"Thank you, Rose," the Doctor said. Except it was not the Doctor's voice that spoke to her. It was an ethereal voice, one that she last heard on Satellite Five, right before the Doctor regenerated. That same voice sang to her. .

"I'll take care of you," was the last thing Rose heard as the Doctor leaned over and kissed her.

*******

Rose felt like someone was smothering her with a pillow, of which she could not seem to push off. She was drowning and losing air when suddenly she coughed as air rushed through her airways and she could breathe again.

"Rose!" was the first word she heard. When she opened her eyes, the first thing she saw were the concerned faces of both Jake and Mickey. She was lying down somewhere. Both their faces were white with fear.

"Blimey, my head," was the first thing she said.

Both men continued to look at her in fear. She took a deep breath and coughed, her chest felt a little sore. She sat up looking around. They were in the Tardis which was dark. The Tardis whirred into life, but neither men took any notice, so focused they were on Rose.

"You were dead, Rose," Mickey said, his face taut with worry. "There were sparks and suddenly went down. You were not breathing for the longest while and your heart stopped."


	17. Chapter 16: The Master of Torchwood

_**Summary**_: Rose and Mickey have to contend with the changes within Torchwood.

_**A/N**_: As always, I'm very grateful for all the reads and reviews! Thanks so much guys and hope I'd able to entertain you for a while :)

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**Chapter 16: The Master of Torchwood**

"Don't be daft," Rose snapped. Her head and her body ached, and the room spun when she sat up. She longed to have her back rubbed or just to lie back down. But the last thing she wanted was either Jake or Mickey to worry about her. She was frightened no doubt: what did they mean by dead? What did they mean by her heart stopping?

"I don't like this place," Jake declared.

"It's not like the other Tardis, innit?" Mickey agreed.

But Rose shook her head as she stood up. She was wobbly, she was affected by the Tardis but she refused to show any pain or her own fear. Rose was overcome by a desire to protect the Tardis.

"It's fine," Rose snapped again. Mickey and Jack were taken aback, eyed her suspiciously. "Sorry," Rose said softly. "Sorry. I'm just a bit weirded out myself. But the Tardis in this universe would never hurt me."

Mickey looked unconvinced but helped her stand. Rose took a deep breath and struggled to keep a cough down again.

"We have to hide the Tardis," Rose announced.

"That's going to tough since it lights up like a bleeding Christmas tree every other minute," Jake grumbled.

"There's an alien creature looking for it. I don't know what it wants with the Tardis, but we have to protect it." Rose said, biting her lower lip. Mickey had the same skeptical glance on his face to Rose's chagrin. "The Tardis told me so," Rose said as matter of factly as she could.

Before Mickey could retort, Rose's phone beeped signaling a text message. Rose scrambled for her phone to check the message. It was from her father. Rose's brow creased as she read the message.

"Incredibly bad news from Dad," Rose muttered sourly.

"How bad can it be compared to an alien ship that just zapped you?" Mickey retorted sarcastically.

"It didn't zap me," Rose grumbled, distracted from the message. "It's from Dad. Torchwood has a new master. Apparently Lord Cole isn't satisfied with the promises Torchwood made at parliament. He had just convinced President Jones to install an observer of sorts who will be watching our every move."

"A spy ?!" Jake said. "In Torchwood?"

Rose ran a hand on the Tardis' console, willing the Tardis to speak to her. What should she do? Just a few moments ago, she was talking to the Tardis, actually speaking to it. Now there was only silence between her and the ship. With the news of the observer, Rose thought bitterly, she did not think the Tardis will be as safe in the hands of Torchwood.

As if on cue, both Jake's and Mickey's phone beeped.

"It's from Pete. Same message. He wants us at HQ immediately," Mickey said.

"The Tardis is dying. We need to fly her to Cardiff. We can't just leave her." Rose protested.

Jake and Mickey exchanged a glance which Rose read as 'Rose is insane'. Anger flared up within Rose. The Tardis was in danger. She had to protect it at all costs. What if such a spaceship fell into the wrong hands? History could be changed, the universe was at stake, Torchwood be damned.

Mickey stared back at Rose just as fiercely, as though he couldn't understand why Rose was so preoccupied with a machine that nearly killed her when Torchwood, the organization that had defended the earth more times than it could be counted was about to be dismantled for scraps.

It seemed like a stalemate. Unexpectedly, it was Jake who came to the rescue by peacekeeper. "I'll stay back," Jake said suddenly. He grinned at both Mickey and Rose. "I'll hide the Tardis for as long as we can. And I'll arrange a way to get the Tardis to Cardiff as soon as possible. The two of you, get to the boss."

Rose was about to protest but she stopped herself short. She realized what Jake was doing and was grateful. It was not the time to argue and in times like these, they needed to stick together. Rose nodded.

"I'm driving," Mickey declared. "I'm not letting the newly risen from the dead drive."

***** **

There was cold silence through the drive. Rose was annoyed with Mickey for being overprotective and Mickey did not speak to Rose for he thought she was being unreasonable. Rose started counting the number of lampposts they drove by to while the time away, in her attempts to ignore the frosty silence between them.

But it was Rose who eventually gave in.

"Sorry," she mumbled.

"Did I hear you say something? Something like an apology?"

Rose mocked punched him. "Don't push it."

Mickey grinned but his grin faded away. "You were out for three minutes. You stopped breathing and your heart stopped. We were doing CPR on you," he said nonchalantly.

They must have been so frightened. Rose felt guilty for being so angry earlier. "The Tardis needed to speak to me. I guess that's why she knocked me out."

Mickey didn't look convinced. Rose shook her head. "She's frightened. Some alien is chasing her. Even if you don't," Rose chose her words carefully, "trust this Tardis, the last thing we want to do is something or someone finding her and using her. It's a Time Lord's machine. Torchwood doesn't need some alien bent on destruction taking her."

Mickey nodded. "I'm just glad you're okay." A more comfortable silence fell between the two.

"It's not going to be easy with this new observer," Mickey observed.

"Maybe it won't be so bad," said Rose.

"Oh yeah? How many of Lord Cole's recommendations did you like?"

Rose grimaced, thinking back of the new bureaucratic rules that Lord Cole had implemented to protect Britain from Torchwood. "Our new Lord and Master," Rose surmised wistfully. "I wonder who the government chose."

"Whatever it is, we'll stick together," Mickey said defiantly.

"As we always do," Rose agreed.

*******

It was a sign of changing times. The security at Torchwood Headquarters did not greet either Mickey or Rose as warmly as usual when they entered. They were frisked and asked to leave their guns at security. Mickey's temper flared a little, emotions were running high this evening and asking a Torchwood agent to separate from their guns, weapons that have saved their lives countless times was not the best way to start the evening. There was a scuffle between Mickey and security before Rose stepped in and convinced Mickey to leave their weapons behind.

When they finally entered Pete's office, Pete Tyler was pacing up and down. His tie was tossed onto the table and his face was ashen with worry and frustration. So distracted was he, that he did not notice Mickey and Rose's entrance.

"Dad!"

Pete looked up, despairing. His eyes were tired. "It's not good news, love."

Rose felt her stomach plummet. "How bad is bad?" she asked tentatively.

"Torchwood has a new boss I'm afraid," he said.

"They got rid of you?!" Mickey asked bluntly.

Pete's face was grey but it colored at Mickey's words. "No, not quite. We have a new overseer that we all report to. Including me."

"Who is it?" Rose asked.

"Someone I'm not particularly happy to be reporting to," Pete sighed. "I could be nice and tell you who it is but well, since we're going to be introduced to her anyway."

"It's a she?" said Rose.

Pete nodded as he looked at his watch. "You arrived just in time. We're going to be introduced to our new mistress soon enough. Mickey, Rose, come with me."

*******

The conference room was deathly quiet as Rose, Mickey and Pete entered. Rose checked: all the various heads of department of Torchwood were present at the meeting despite it being so late in the evening. All of them were clearly unhappy with the prospect of Torchwood losing control to one of Lord Cole's spies.

Pete Tyler remained standing as Mickey and Rose took a seat around the oval conference table. The mood was somber. Lord Cole walked into the room after a few moments of waiting in all pomp and circumstance. He had an unpleasant demeanour, arrogant and condescending. He sneered at the heads of department and did not say a word as Pete Tyler took his hand. Pete Tyler attempted to exchange pleasantries with Lord Cole, who promptly ignored him. His eyes kept trailing towards the door as though he was waiting for someone.

'Ladies and gentleman, I thank you for coming so late this evening. As some of you are aware, President Jones has expressed concerns with Torchwood and the liberties Torchwood has when it comes to the security of Great Britain and Planet Earth.'

But you're enjoying the security, Rose thought bitterly, but biting her tongue as not to accidentally say aloud what she was thinking.

'Corruption and empire building reign freely in Torchwood, a public institution is allowed to function outside the boundaries of law,' Lord Cole continued, a glare directed to Pete Tyler. 'There is no regulation in Torchwood, no oversight. In a democracy, Torchwood is a dictatorship.'

Rose felt a hard squeeze on her shoulder from Mickey. Rose in turned squeezed his hand, she could feel the fury eminating from her friend.

'Well, the age of Torchwood wantonly managing its affairs, regardless of public opinion and without regulation is over. No more paranoid notions over the Archangel network, this is not a closed organization, this an organization open to criticism and answerable to the government.'

The door opened and Lord Cole's eyes lit up when a woman entered. It took all of five seconds before Rose recognized who the woman was and it took all of her inner professionalism to not grab the heaviest thing on the table and fling it at the woman who had just entered.

'Please welcome your new observer, mentor and guide for Torchwood. I trust you would show her the same deference as you have me. Together we will bring Torchwood to the future,'

Their new Lord and Master. It was that bitch. That same bitch who called her the chav princess on one of the tabloids. It was none other than Lucy Cole.


	18. Chapter 17: Thorny Lucy

**Chapter 17: Thorny Lucy**

"Do this, Rose, do that, Rose. You were a bit slow in getting back to us, Rose. That was a sloppy way of handling that hostile alien, Rose," Rose muttered to herself as she ran towards the woods.

"Rose, would you stop talking to yourself and rescue Miss Cole," Mickey shouted over her ear-piece irritably.

"If that woman did her job and stopped interfering with Torchwood, she wouldn't be in this mess in the first place," Rose shouted back as she hid behind a tree. From a distance, she could hear Lucy Cole's bloodcurdling scream as the Thorax, an 8-foot-tall cockroach, roared.

"Rose, might I remind you that we're currently on the Archangel network and that everything that you say can and will be used against you," Pete interrupted.

Rose sighed inwardly. Her comments meant that there would be another round of inquiry on Rose's lack of professionalism headed by, of course, the ubiquitous Lucy Cole. Rose saw her team in the distance tiptoeing and sneaking into the woods slowly. The Thorax roared again. It was only a matter of time before the Thorax bit off Lucy Cole's head and fed it to its young.

Rose wondered if she should take her time, possibly allow the Thorax to munch on Lucy's arm. It wouldn't be professional of her. But it would certainly teach Lucy not to conduct spot checks on how Torchwood ran their Alien Relocation Programme, especially on possibly hostile ones. Rose sighed and pushed her fantasies back for another day.

"All ready and in the clear, Agent Tyler," came a voice through her earpiece. Her team was ready.

"Alright, team," Rose said. "Ready position, Falcon." Rose struggled not to roll her eyes as she said that. Again, another Lucy Cole legacy, insisting that all attack positions should have an animal name of some sort to confuse the enemy.

"Go, go, go!" Rose shouted as she and her team ran out from their hiding positions towards the Thorax, guns ready in case anything were to go wrong.

***

Martha laughed so hard that she nearly choked on the biscuit that came with the tea. Rose waited until Martha stopped laughing, stirring her tea patiently in the meantime.

"My word," Martha gasped. "Did this really happen?"

Rose grimaced.

"So you're telling me that Miss high and mighty Lucy Cole was being dangled by a Thorax in the middle of the woods."

Rose sighed. "Think King Kong except with a giant insect and an unattractive female lead."

"King Kong?" Martha asked quizzically.

Rose raised an eyebrow, mentally cataloguing the differences between her universe and this universe. No King Kong. "Big giant ape that kidnaps young women," Rose attempted to explain but as Martha looked more and more confused, Rose waved it off. "It's a movie. From back home."

"Ah," said Martha. "So what happened then?"

***

"By the Shadow Proclamation, I order you to release that woman!" Rose shouted, her gun trained on the Thorax. Her team was ready, the order was shoot to kill if anything were to happen to Lucy Cole.

The Thorax was poised to bite Lucy's head off when it tilted its large insectoid head towards Rose.

"Hmm? Intelligence."

Rose flinched. She understood the Thorax. The Tardis was translating for her.

"Although, my yellow one, the Shadow Proclamation is no longer in effect. Have you not been to the recent Universal General Assembly?" said the Thorax as he stroked Lucy Cole on the face. Lucy screamed.

Rose bit her tongue to stop herself from retorting something witty to the Thorax. Or encouraging the Torax to eat Lucy. Either really.

"Put the woman down or we will shoot," Rose shouted again, careful to not let slip that she understood the Thorax.

A long slithery feeler wrapped around Lucy's neck. "Go away now, my little yellow one. Let me feed. I'm hungry," the Thorax purred.

"Hunger does not justify eating that woman,' Rose retorted, forgetting for a second that she should not be communicating with the alien. 'Put her down or we'll shoot. This is your last chance," Rose warned.

"Fine," sulked the Thorax as his feelers tightened around Lucy's neck. Lucy struggled against the feelers, her legs kicking wildly in the air. They were seconds away seconds before her neck snapped.

There was no time to waste. "Fire away, team," Rose ordered.

Her team fired.

***

Martha listened intently, her fork cutting through the sinful chocolate cake. Martha took a bite, chewing it thoughtfully before swallowing. She sipped on her coffee before finally saying:

"Did you meet the Thorax on your travels with the Doctor?" she asked.

Rose nodded. "Once. Twice. Can't really say I enjoyed meeting them."

"Did you use salt pellets? They're highly allergic to sodium last I recall."

"Yeah."

"They explode don't they, when they get shot at?" Martha continued, taking another generous bite of her chocolate cake.

***

No one moved a muscle as the shots rang through. There was a terrible hissing before the Thorax suddenly blew apart. Rose ducked, avoiding the insect goo that exploded into different directions. Lucy Cole fell to the ground in an unattractive heap covered with insectoid goo and various parts of the giant bug.

Rose's team froze, tentative and unsure of what to do. Or they were hoping that she might be dead, it was difficult to tell these days. Only when they heard a feeble moan from Lucy did they rush to help her. Rose was the first one at Lucy's side. Lucy coughed uncontrollably once released by the feelers.

Lucy sat up with Rose's help. But the accusatory glare in Lucy's eyes made it clear that she was not at all amused with Rose's attempt at rescue.

"You," she gasped. "You knew…" Lucy coughed again. "You knew this would happen, didn't you?"

"No," Rose replied, struggling to keep a straight face. Lucy's makeup was beginning to run, her eyeliner streaked under her eyes, making it look like black tears. Rose could not stifle her giggle, no matter how hard she tried.

"You did. You spoke to it. I saw you!" Lucy accused, the fury evident in her snarl. "You're going to pay for this, Rose Tyler!" Lucy all but shrieked.

***

"Is that the reason why you've been suspended?" Martha asked.

Rose shrugged, stealing a bit of cake of Martha's plate. Martha shot her a dirty look. "Who knows? The list is about 5 miles long ranging from being insubordinate to a superior officer to concealing my knowledge of alien languages."

Martha laughed, pulling out another gossip magazine that she was so fond of. She flipped through the pages to show a long interview with Lucy Cole. Martha handed the magazine over to Rose.

Lucy Cole was posing in a James Bond-eque position in a sharp suit and a gun. "My time in Torchwood," Rose read aloud.

"Oh and it gets better. It talks about the infallible Rose Tyler in there as well."

Rose tossed the magazine aside, disgusted. "Some of the girls in the office were talking about it as well."

Martha shrugged. "It's not easy defending the earth."

Rose shook her head. "It gets harder each day as well. Torchwood is stretched. Our resources are tight. Our teams are being sent all over the world by Miss Cole for the most ridiculous of missions. They almost always come back empty-handed."

"UNIT is just as stretched," Martha agreed. "I don't know how long the Brigadier can claim that UNIT is neutral. President Jones and Lord Cole are on our case. The pressure to use Archangel network is strong."

Rose held up her phone. "Archangel network."

Martha grimaced. The mood changed slightly to a more solemn one. "UNIT tried to look into Archangel Network. Everything checks out. Something tells me that there's something wrong with it. It's just too squeaky clean."

Rose had a wistful smile on her face. "Harry used to work with the Archangel network," Rose sighed.

Martha took her hand and squeezed it understanding. Rose was grateful for Martha, she really was.

"After Darlig Ulv Stranden," Rose continued, a little emotionally. "I'd see the Doctor everywhere I went. It's just that now, now I have to add Harry to that picture. Call me crazy but sometimes I see Harry wherever I go."

Rose took the same way home each time after she met up with Martha. There was an easier way home, if she took the underground. But Rose preferred to walk. She would take in the sights and sounds of London, the hustle and bustle and the people as they hurried about their lives.

Whatever universe she was in, she loved London.

There was one particular reason why she preferred the walk back. The path she took allowed her to pass by Harry Saxon's flat. On occasion she had knocked on his door, hoping that he or at least someone would answer. Always, she was greeted with silence.

The conversation with Martha had left her a little melancholy and Rose felt compelled to walk by Harry's flat perchance he might be there. The guilt still weighed heavily on her as well as the regret. It was strange, they barely knew each other when he disappeared and yet, she felt terribly connected to him.

Rose walked quickly down the cobbled stones of London's streets. She had her hands stuffed in her pockets, the weather was turning cold. It would be winter soon and she wondered if it would snow this year. It would be Christmas soon. Harry wouldn't be celebrating Christmas this year.

Rose did not expect much as she walked by Harry's flat. She cast a quick glance to his flat, expecting to see dark windows as usual. It shocked her when she found Harry's flat flooded with light. Someone was in.

Rose could feel her heart in her throat. Harry. Harry was alive. Rose threw caution to the wind and rushed to Harry's flat.


	19. Chapter 18: The Death of Harry Saxon

A/N: As always, thank you for the reviews :)

**Chapter 18: The Death of Harry Saxon**

Rose did not hesitate to rush up the staircase to Harry's flat. She bounded up the stairs, two steps at a time. Hope rose unbidden through her heart, her body tingled all over as she thought of Harry being there. She had to keep telling herself — it could be anyone really, it could be a cleaner, it could be new tenants — to spare herself the disappointment. But she had to see for herself, she had to see for certain. For the first time in many months, there was a chance he was alive.

Harry's front door was open. Rose wondered if she ought to call for back up, but that would be silly if it was only the cleaners or his landlord. Rose entered his flat quietly, back to the door, gun ahead of her. This was no time to be surprised.

The air was musty and the room was covered in dust. It looked as though it had not been lived in for a while. But what caught Rose's eye were the torn papers all over the floor. There were papers everywhere, as though someone had gone through files, torn them apart with as much malice one could muster. Against her better judgment, she put her gun down to look at the papers.

They were torn pencil sketches. Rose's brow furrowed as she pieced some of the papers on the floor together. They looked like alien worlds, planets with two suns, planets made of diamonds. There was lead in her stomach — she had been to some of these places before. How could Harry have possibly drawn these pictures?

There were more drawings on the floor. Rose ought to be careful but she wanted to see these pictures.

The pictures seemed to betray a state of mind that Rose that frightened her to the core. There were pictures of alien creatures but it was not the alien creatures that shocked her. It was the almost joyous depictions of their death, torture and gore. The artist seemed to revel in destruction and cruelty.

Was this a side of Harry that she clearly had not seen? A very violent side to Harry that she was not aware of?

Rose picked up her gun and continued to walk around the living room. Books were strewn on the coffee table and some were thrown on the floor. Harry had a thirst for knowledge, Rose remembered with a pang; the books reflected an unending passion for knowledge. There must have been hundreds of books in this small flat, all callously tossed down on the floor.

Rose gripped her gun tighter. On the one hand, she would like to write off what happened in thie flat as a break-in. But no, the way the books were thrown about, the tearing of the drawings. This was personal.

Rose searched through the room for clues; a drawing at the corner of the living area by the windows caught her eye.

Could it be?

Rose walked over to the drawing. It was the only drawing in the room left intact. It was a beautiful drawing, far more beautiful than the subject, Rose thought. She bit her lip, uncertain how to react. It was a pencil sketch of her, drawn tenderly and with care. Rose studied the drawing carefully. There were fresh pencil marks on the drawing, it was recently touched on.

Fresh pencil marks. That means Harry was still alive, Rose thought joyously. But why had he not gotten in touch with her? Where had he been hiding? Is he in trouble?

There was a slight rustling sound and footsteps from behind Rose. Instinctively, Rose brought her gun up and took aim.

It was Harry. He looked as bewildered as he had before, his hands up in a surrender position. "Rose?" he called out gingerly.

The euphoria of seeing Harry alive was indescribable. Rose put her gun away before rushing towards Harry. Harry scooped her into his arms, holding her tight. He planted a kiss on her hair and Rose could feel her eyes filling with tears. She closed her eyes hard, not wanting the tears to escape.

He still wore the same cologne; he still smelled the same. Rose was instantly comforted. She released herself from his embrace, furiously blinking her eyes to hide the tears that welled up.

"Where have you been?" Rose asked, struggling to not sound like a jilted girlfriend who had been abandoned.

"I was away," Harry replied, a little distractedly. He reached out to touch her face. Rose reached for his hand and placed it against her face. Harry's hands were cool and comforting.

"I'm sorry, I'm so so sorry," he said gently. He pulled her closer to him and Rose leaned on his chest. For the first time since the commotion with Lord Cole and Torchwood losing control did Rose feel reassured. She listened to the rhythm of his heartbeat allowing herself to relax.

"I had to find myself, Rose. Understand what my purpose in life is," he whispered. Harry's words were soothing. "You were right, Rose, there is a greater world out there. A whole universe, even. We just need to find a way of getting back there."

But beneath his gentle words, there was an undercurrent of sarcasm and disdain. There was something wrong. This was not Harry, not the Harry she had gotten to know. Not the shy Harry that had tried to impress her with energy drinks at the opening of an art gallery. He held her close and tightly, as though he unwilling to let her go.

Rose swallowed. Did one of the Lethes escape and remain in him? "What are you looking for, Harry?" she asked carefully.

"A way to fly. Will you help me find it, Rose? Will you come with me?"

Rose did not really hear his last words. A feeling of dread was creeping in her veins as she listened to Harry's heartbeat. The rhythm of his heartbeat was enough to stop her own heart from beating. She had heard the same kind of rhythm only once before in another man. A double heartbeat from a man who was not quite human. A Time Lord.

_"This Time Lord, he is unstable."_

"Rose, there is an alien looking for me. For the Tardis,"

"Do you know what alien?"

"Not a friendly one,"

Instinct took over. Rose pulled out her gun and trained it on Harry's gut, pushing him away from her with her other hand.

"Who are you?" she asked, her voice tense. She had both her hands on the gun now. "Who are you and what have you done with Harry?"

The gentle warmth on Harry's face disappeared and what was left was a cold stare. "You're a lot smarter than I remembered."

"Tell me what you've done to Harry. Tell me or I'll shoot," Rose warned.

"Harry was a story, Rose. Harry doesn't exist."

Rose shot into the ceiling. Smatterings of plaster falls to the ground, dust covering the two of them. Harry flinched but Rose was unperturbed.

"I will not hesitate to kill you. And when you regenerate, I'll shoot you again. There must be some kind of limit to this regeneration, yeah?" Rose said tersely. "I'm going to ask you one last time. Who are you and what have you done with Harry?"

Harry put up his hands in mock surrender. "Harry is dead, Rose," mocked Harry. He put his hands down and grinned. His eyes were alight with childish delight. "Allow me to introduce myself," he began.

Harry looked at her straight in the eye, a gaze so piercing that Rose felt he looked directly into her soul. When he spoke, he spoke slowly with unbridled glee and condescension.

"My name is the Master."


	20. Chapter 19: To the Evil Lair

_A/N: Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!_

**Chapter 19: To the Evil Lair**

'I am the Master,' Harry said.

To which Rose dumbfoundedly replied, 'I don't understand.'

Harry made the sort of face, his lower lip sticking out as though he was pouting. 'Really now, Rose, I would have thought you were smarter than that.' He shrugged. 'I could have been wrong. Oooh, have I introduced you to my very good friend?'

As if on cue, a woman slinked through the door. Lucy had her cover girl smile on her face, the gentle smile that charmed millions as the heiress to the Cole fortune. But the gun in her hands remained trained on Rose even as she sauntered next to the Master.

The Master grinned wildly as Lucy stood next to him. He put a hand behind the small of Lucy's back and pulled her close to him.

"My faithful companion," the Master purred, with a smile. He leaned in to her, his face on her hair. "You didn't think I'd come alone, did you?"

"As your superior officer, I order you to put your gun down, Agent Tyler," Lucy said sweetly.

She looked at the two of them before releasing the grip on her gun, put her hand in the air before kneeling down and putting the gun on the floor. The universal action of surrendering.

"Kick the gun this way, Agent Tyler," Lucy commanded.

Rose kicked the gun away, she watched it slide over the wooden flooring. The Master reached into his coat pocket and pulled out what looked like - was that a sonic screwdriver? He pressed a button and an orange laser beam came out and her gun disintegrated. Rose nearly jumped out of her skin.

Not a sonic screwdriver then. As though reading her mind, the Master answered her, "Laser," he shrugged. 'Who'd have sonic?'

Rose shot him a withering glare. "What do you want?" Rose asked quietly.

For the first time throughout the entire farce, the Master's face grow serious. "The Tardis, Rose. I want the Tardis."

***

From a distance, it would seem like three friends walking in the cold nights of London. Rose walked closely to Lucy; Lucy was holding her arm, whilst the Master, formerly known as Harry Saxon walked slight ahead of the three of them, babbling to himself and to them. His went right on chattering to himself, his babbling reminded her of the Doctor, if the statements were not so inane. Rose was starting to really fear what this all meant — a superior being with intelligence far beyond what they could grasp, and one that was just mad.

There were thousands of questions running through Rose's mind, and her emotions were in flux, threatening the situation. She had to keep her wits about her, especially with the cold tip of Lucy's gun pressed on her back.

"You've been very naughty, Rose. Very, very naughty." the Master sing-songed. "You're not going to get any presents for Christmas." His voice was soothing, almost hypnotic — it was almost too easy to go under. No, focus. Focus.

Rose did not answer. Was his insanity caused by the Time War? Or was he always this way?

"Hiding the Tardis from Torchwood. It's a wonder that Lucy hasn't punished you more severely," the Master continued.

"She's been too kind," Rose replied sarcastically. Rose's instincts and senses were alert, she was looking for any opportunity to escape the two. She meticulously catalogued in her mind all possible ways of escape or at least running away without endangering the public. It was almost Christmas time and the streets were packed with last-minute shoppers.

"Where are you taking me?" Rose asked.

"To be my prisoner of course and to torture you until you confess to where the Tardis is," the Master said.

"And if I refuse?"

The Master shrugged. "I'll just have to torture your parents. And maim your baby brother. Tony is his name, isn't it? Decimate humanity. Things I know you preachy save the world types don't like."

"I suppose you're taking me to your evil lair," Rose said.

"Why, yes, I am! The first non-sactimonious thing you've said all evening. Where do you think it could be?"

"Taking a stab," Rose said, emphasizing the word stab as she glared at him, "in the dark, I would guess it's probably the Archangel Headquarters." As it were, they were now walking across London bridge towards the City where Archangel Network was situated.

"To think you didn't do your A-Levels," the Master mused fondly.

"Hey, didn't you do your research?" Rose protested. She glared at Lucy whose grin was starting to falter. "What have you been feeding him? I have my bachelor's now. Working on nailing down a Masters"

The Master grinned at her words. "Pay no attention to her, darling," the Master said to Lucy.

It was only through a slight quirk of Lucy's eyebrows and the slight falter in Lucy's smile did Rose realize what was going through Lucy's head. Here was the opportunity she was looking for. For whatever bizarre and strange reason, Lucy was jealous of her. This was her way out.

Rose stopped walking suddenly. "Isn't this a beautiful evening?" she announced, her arms stretched out.

The Master's face darkened but he did not say a word. Lucy looked on a little confusedly.

Rose took a deep breath, the cold night air stinging her nose and lungs. She opened her eyes and turned around. Lucy was surprised but kept her aim on Rose as Rose leaned on the walls of the bridge. The night was beautiful and the scene breathtaking. Whatever London she was in, the beauty of the Tower Bridge on the River Thames, was something she could take in all the time.

"I wonder if the Doctor knew how to draw," Rose said. "I never knew if he could."

"Didn't he draw for you?" the Master asked sarcastically.

"Doodles, really. I didn't think he could draw," Rose said carefully. She turned to the side and gave a lazy smile to the Master. "Well, not as wonderful as you can. I saw the pictures in your flat. They were lovely."

The Master did not reply. But Lucy had no poker face, Rose could see the doubt colouring in, the uncertainty on how to handle the situation. Rose smiled seductively at the Master.

"You drew the loveliest portrait of me in your flat. Did he draw one of you too, Lucy?"

The words had the intended effect on Lucy. The grip on the gun faltered, it was minute but just enough for Rose to take advantage. Quick as flash, Rose kicked Lucy and grabbed the gun from Lucy's hands. Lucy was too shocked to react. Rose used all her strength to push Lucy down to the ground. Before the Master could react, Rose shot the gun twice into the sky.

The tourists on the bridge screamed and panicked coming in between Rose and the Master. The Master stood amidst the panicking crowd, his face dark with fury. He pushed the various people aside as he marched towards her. Rose gave him a the sweetest smile she could muster in said circumstance as she pushed herself onto the ledge. Before the Master could reach for his laser screwdriver, Rose launched herself off the bridge into the icy black waters of the Thames.

***

Rose trudged out of the river, the weight of the water weighing down on her clothes before, running and running as fast as she could. The first thing she could think of at the moment was home. Her mum, her brother and dad. Would Torchwood be after her family?

Rose sneezed. It was cold. No, it was freezing and if neither Torchwood nor the Master got ahold of her first, then a cold would kill her off faster than either would.

When she arrived at the gates of the Tyler mansion, she found all the lights switched on and the gates open, the way it usually was when the Tylers threw a party. Rose shivered, the evening bore a resemblance to the evening when the Cybermen first rose. It was not an evening she cared to relive. Rose sneaked into the area, carefully crouching behind the trees, mentally forming a plan on what to do.

Her dad was standing in the porch as though waiting for someone. Rose wondered what he was waiting for. A car drove in to the Tyler mansion area. She recognized it as one of the Torchwood cars. It stopped right in front of her father and a group of men — Rose recognized some she had worked with — got out of the car. Pete Tyler appeared a little nervous, he shifted his weight a few times, hands in his pockets but mostly looked calm.

They exchanged a few words. Pete put his hands in the air as one of the men, James, Rose recognized, took out a pair of handcuffs. Rose watched as they slapped the handcuffs on her father and he was calmly led away. Rose froze, should she attempt to rescue her father with her wet gun?

What about her mum? Her brother? She watched as they led her father into the car and drove off. The indecision that took a hold of Rose disappeared. Rose was about to stand up and storm into her home when a hand grabbed a shoulder. On any other circumstances, she would have jumped out of her skin. Right now, she was too cold, too weak and too tired and with her dad captured, she was not sure she was in the right mind to do anything.

"It's me!" Martha whispered harshly.

Rose was never more glad to see her. Martha hugged her, wet and all. "Your mum and brother are safe," she said. "But not your home. Come with me."


	21. Chapter 20: Sanctuary

**Chapter 20: Sanctuary**

The moment Rose arrived in the Jones' household, Tony and Jackie were the first to launch themselves onto Rose, wet clothes and all. Tony was too young to understand what was going on, he was just excited to see his sister. Jackie was just as happy to find her daughter alive, but her excitement was tempered by the loss of her home and her husband.

The reunion was short-lived with both Francine and Martha intervening to push Rose into a shower. Rose was deathly blue from running around wintry London in wet clothes.

She knew Jackie had some questions, some hard questions about what was going on, questions that Rose herself would not be able to answer. And she was not ready to face her mother, how to explain this turn of events nor was she ready to be the pillar of strength the situation called for.

As Rose stepped into the shower, she felt grateful for the space. As the hot water cascaded down her back, on her hair, on her face, Rose blanked her mind out. She did not want to think of what had just happened. It was the only time out she could have. Once she's out of the shower, it's back to work.

It was also the only time, Rose realized, she could properly mourn. The man who looked like Harry, the Time Lord who called himself the Master had confirmed what she had known all this while but had hoped against; Harry was dead.

Rose did not want to think of the awful possibility that sweet Harry was never even Harry in the first place. There was always the chance that it was the Master biding his time, playing some sick sort of game to win her over.

But then she thought of the kiss they shared, amidst the chaos in Torchwood control and his incredibly shy attempts at winning her heart. No. Harry was very real, she could feel it in her bones and in her heart. The Master could not have acted his way through the history of soft drinks in his efforts to impress her.

For some reason, recalling Harry's anecdotes about the history of energy drinks was enough to bring tears to her eyes. Before long, there were tears running down her face mixing with the hot water from the shower.

Choking back a sob, Rose turned off the shower and reached for the towel. The Master was in control of Torchwood and her father had been arrested. Her family was in hiding. The Tardis was in danger, there was no time for tears.

***

Rose found Martha in the Jones' living room. Rose was pleased to find Mickey and Jake in there as well, mucking about as usual. Despite the jokes, the mood was undeniably serious.

The TV was switched on to the news. Her face was plastered all over the TV. Rose was London's most wanted.

"Hey, babe. Looks like you've beaten me this time," Mickey said, getting up from his seat to hug Rose. Rose hugged back.

"I've always beaten you," said Rose. "Besides it was Ricky who was the most wanted. Not you."

Jake merely smiled as he swooped down to hug Rose. Despite how things could go terribly wrong, having these two around made things infinitely better. These two and Martha, Rose remembered. They were definitely something.

"So what did I do to deserve such a title?" Rose asked lightly.

Martha, Jake and Mickey exchanged glances. "Come on, it can't be that bad," Rose prodded.

Mickey turned around to pick up his laptop. He placed it on the dinner table where the four of them crowded around the laptop to watch. "Something that's been on the news channel repeatedly," said Mickey.

Mickey switched on a video. It was an amateur video of a tourist on London Bridge, taking shots of London at night. Suddenly there were sounds of gunshots and screams. The camera hastily panned towards the gunshots where Rose stood amidst the chaos, collected and calm with a gun high in the air.

"I think that beats Lucy Cole's James Bond pose," Martha said.

Rose stiffened at the mention of Lucy's name. "Come on then. We've got work to do."

***

The whole team including her mum was seated at the dining table. There were papers strewn everywhere with more than three laptops opened. The only person that did not quite fit in the chaos was Jackie Tyler, who was surprisingly quiet, nursing a cup of tea.

The whole table was talking simultaneously. Jake reporting on Lord Cole's next move, possibly on UNIT; Mickey was debating what was the real reason Pete Tyler was taken in. The current charges were obviously trumped up — "Like really, Pete Tyler associate himself with terrorists!" Mickey sniped — and Martha who kept excusing herself from the dining table to answer phone calls, presumably from her boss, the Brigadier.

Rose and Jackie remained silent.

"That's it then," said Martha after her last conversation, flipping her phone off. "Tomorrow there will be an announcement. Lord Cole formally takes control of UNIT."

"Isn't UNIT supposed to be neutral?" Jake asked.

Martha shrugged. "Nothing's neutral nowadays. President Jones keeps giving power to Lord Cole. Whatever he wants, she gives it."

"It's like the whole world seems to be under some sort of spell," Mickey reflected.

"But under whose?" Martha asked. "Have you actually met Lord Cole? He's not exactly who I'd call bright."

"So you think Lord Cole is actually working for someone?" asked Mickey.

"Our Lord and Master," Rose mused absentmindedly. "What?" Mickey asked. Rose shook her head, not quite ready to share the information just yet.

"Who do you think is controlling Lord Cole?" Jake questioned, a little irritated by Martha's conspiracy theory.

"If I knew, I wouldn't be asking the questions," Martha all but snapped. "Obviously someone who feels the need to take over Torchwood."

"To find the Tardis," sighed Rose. Silence fell in the room the moment the Tardis was mentioned. Rose could see "Lord Cole's master, well, I'm assuming it's the same as Lucy's one."

"The one you tried to shoot today?" Mickey asked, a little amused.

"I wasn't trying to shoot her. She was trying to kill me. Well, yeah, I met him."

Everybody's curiosity was piqued. Rose's heart felt heavy with the knowledge and the bomb she was about to drop on the group. She pulled Mickey's laptop to her. She played the video of her shooting to the sky. She paused the video.

"See him?"

"I see Lucy on the ground," Mickey said. "I guessed you pushed her down when she was trying to take you in."

"See the man standing. The one in the black suit," Rose said pointing to the screen. There was a sharp intake of breath from both Mickey and Jake when they finally recognized who the man storming toward Rose, the fury evident even through the blurry video.

"So Harry Saxon's still alive," Mickey breathed out.

Rose shook her head.

"He's not," Rose said finally. "Harry's dead. That's not Harry. He just looks like Harry. He calls himself the Master."

Mickey and Jake's eyebrows were raised in disbelief. Rose took a deep breath.

"He's a Time Lord," Rose finished.

***

Everyone spoke at once with Rose's revelation. Jackie who had remained silent all this while came to life, brazen with anger: "Time Lord? You mean like the Doctor? The Tardis? What's it doing here?" "Is it the Doctor of this universe?" Jake asked. "No, not the Doctor," Rose replied. "Calls himself the Master." "He's evil?" was Mickey's reaction.

There was a role reversal. Whilst Jackie became animated with the pronouncement, it was Martha who grew quiet and stricken. Rose watched Martha withdraw into herself as the cacophony of protests from the other three grew louder.

Rose could only imagine what was going through her mind. As the protests died down, Martha finally spoke. "What are we going to do now? We don't have much time."

"What does he want the Tardis for?" Mickey asked.

Rose shrugged. "I don't know. Maybe to escape? Maybe he lost his Tardis or something."

Silence fell. Martha's phone rang suddenly. "It's the Brig," she said simply. "I'd better take this call."

Martha quickly rushed out of the room into the kitchen. Thankfully, Mickey and Jake were too preoccupied with discussing the new Time Lord to notice Martha's abrupt disappearance. Rose watched Martha leave, her gaze remained even after Martha had exited the room.

"I'm making another cup of tea," Rose announced. "Anyone want anything?" Mickey and Jake were still debating and did not hear her. Rose picked up her mug and headed to the kitchen.

Martha was standing over the sink washing her mug. Or not washing the mug. The water ran but Martha stood by the sink just staring. Rose stood next to Martha without saying a word.

"The Brig said that the safehouse is ready. Your mum and brother will be placed under UNIT's care. They'll have new identities, we're going to keep things quiet until you and your dad are free again. I'm in charge of that personally," said Martha.

"Thank you."

Martha was about to say something when she stopped herself. Rose just waited, until she was ready to speak.

"I always had this hope, you see," Martha started suddenly, the voice wavering with emotion. "That despite what you said about the Time War, the Doctor, my Doctor would have survived it."

Rose could not reply. She had often wondered how she would have felt if the Doctor in this universe survived, she had met him and he would have denied her the same way Pete of this world had. Or if she saw him with Martha.

But she would never want the Doctor in this universe or any to be hurt, as far as she was concerned.

"I'm sorry," Rose said. 'I'm so, so sorry.'

"I'm sorry too. For us, for the human race. If there's a renegade Time Lord out there, God help us all," said Martha forcefully. She grabbed Rose's mug and poured the remaining tea down the sink.

"Hey, I was still drinking that!" Rose protested.

"Sorry," said Martha sheepishly. She washed Rose's mug and wiped it dry before making another mug of tea.

"How are you taking the news about Harry?" Martha asked.

Rose was surprised and touched that Martha, despite what she was going through, could even think about her."Not very well," she confessed. "But I'm Torchwood. Earth comes first."

Martha pursed her lips in a line. "Rose," she began tentatively. "Have you heard of the chameleon arch?"

***

Rose sat outside under the moonlight in Martha's backyard. It was not necessarily a safe thing to do, a neighbour could easily spy on Rose and report her to the police. But it was sort of the last night of freedom for Rose. Rose stared at the stars, the vastness of space out of reach for her. Three years later and still she found it difficult to say she enjoyed a life with feet firmly planted on earth. She still missed the exploring and for a planet so small, there were just so much trouble to sort through!

Rose heard the back door open and knew her mum was standing behind her. Without a word Jackie sat next to Rose.

"You're a strange one, the neighbours used to say," said Jackie. "Always head in the clouds, staring at the sky. Even as a little girl you were always fascinated by the stars."

Rose laughed. "Not a time for nostalgia, Mum"

Her mum feigned irritation. "My husband has just been arrested, my daughter is Britain's most wanted…"

"Britain now?" Rose chuckled. "I've been upgraded."

"Hush," Jackie chided. "I'll do as I please. And I'm still your mum. As I was saying, your head was always in the stars. When you were four, you wanted to be an astronaut, did you know that?"

Rose shook her head, no. She should have remembered. "Why didn't you encourage me?"

"Coming from the estate? Struggling for money? It seemed beyond our lot," her mum remembered with a smile. "And here you are,"

"Britain's most wanted," Rose supplied helpfully.

"Rose Tyler from the estates," Jackie continued, ignoring her daughter. "Who would have thought, from one universe to the next, you'd get involved with Time Lords and aliens and things?"

"Jeopardy friendly, that's me."

"There was a time I'd be just happy if you're working in a shop, eating chips and watching telly every day," Jackie said.

"Mum…" Rose protested.

"For all the money in the world. I'd still be happy if you did just that. At least with the Doctor around, I knew he'd take care of you. However mad your lives were, he'd take care of you," Jackie said. "But Rose, who would take care of you now?"

Rose did not reply. She put her hand around her mother's shoulders. "I'll get dad back for you mum. And I'll come home."

The promises were empty. Rose would never be sure if she could achieve anything she promised now. Could a mere human stop a Time Lord?

There was a knock on the door. Both Jackie and Rose turned to find Martha at the door, at a respectable distance for the sake of privacy. Martha looked determined. "Jackie, we're ready to go," she said.

Jackie looked at Rose anxiously. She reached for Rose, held her tight. Rose could feel her mother's tears on her shoulder. Jackie didn't say anything anymore and Rose just did not encourage her to. It was easier that way.


	22. Chapter 21: Bad Wolf

_A/N: Am currently missing David Tennant very very much. Hope everyone had a brilliant new year otherwise._

**Chapter 21: Bad Wolf**

It was almost four in the morning. Thank goodness for winter, for the sun would not rise for a while and that meant plenty of darkness and time for the team to find the Tardis. Jake revealed where he had hid the Tardis.

"Although, I didn't have much time. So it's still within Torchwood's premises," Jake explained as he, Rose and Mickey drove towards Torchwood.

"But it's hidden, yeah? I don't remember seeing it anywhere in Torchwood's database."

Jake had a knowing smile.

"Are you sure this will work?" Mickey asked Rose.

Rose wondered if she ought to tell him the truth; the Tardis spoke to her rather than she spoke to the Tardis. Rose nodded. "It should work. We'll just have to find the chameleon arch," Rose said confidently. If only the confidence in her voice mirrored the confidence she actually felt.

Mickey nodded. "Alright then. Find the chameleon arch, find the Master. Somehow we're going to strap him to it and we're going turn him into Harry again. Sounds like a perfect plan."

"You got a better one?" Rose snapped.

"We can kill him."

"He regenerates."

"He must run out of regenerations after a while. They all died in the Time War, didn't they?" Mickey reminded.

"Harry is in there somewhere. I can't let him die."

"Quiet!" said Jake harshly. The two of them stared at him and he gave them a sheepish grin. 'Just thought that I could take charge for once,' he said as the van pulled up next to Torchwood's building. Jake's features became serious. "We're here. And we don't have much time."

"Well, then," said Rose. "We'd better make it work."

The doors of the van simultaneously opened. Rose pulled up the hoodie of her jacket, covering her eyes and face. She stepped out, the cold winds of London were biting. Torchwood Headquarters. Mickey and Jake took out their guns.

"Alright, ten minutes on the clock," Mickey announced. Or rather, Agent Smith announced. It was all business now. "Synchronize your watches. Move!"

Mickey and Jake walked side by side to the front of Torchwood's entrance. Rose stood at a greater distance waiting for their cue. There were two cameras and a computer that authenticates using face pattern, iris, voice and fingerprint identification.

Rose watched as Mickey looked into the camera. Torchwood's super computers would scan Mickey face, to identify if it was really Mickey. Mickey then leaned over to have his retinas scanned. Mickey gave Rose a discreet thumbs up. So Mickey could still get through Torchwood's security. It could mean either Torchwood was getting sloppy. Or it was a trap. Rose prayed it was the former.

Voice check. "State your purpose," a mechanical voice filtered through. "Agent Mickey Smith. Left some papers in my office." There was a hum as the computers processed his voice. It was a little longer than usual but there was a final beep. Rose breathed out in relief. "Proceed," said the voice. "Please place your fingerprint on the scanner."

Instead of placing his fingerprint, Mickey jammed a small device into the scanner. There were sparks and the computers went offline.

"Ten minutes," Mickey shouted out as he ran in. "The computers will come back up and we'll have company."

Rose grinned, the adrenaline pumping through her veins. She pulled out her gun as did Jake and ran in.

"When this is all over, security is going to get a right telling off. It's just too easy," Rose shouted to Mickey.

"Security doesn't have me, babe," Mickey shouted back confidently.

It was the Torchwood lobby. For an organization that dealt with aliens constantly coming to earth to destroy it, it looked surprisingly normal and festive. Christmas was a big deal here in Torchwood, the decorations were impressive. Most of all was the towering Christmas tree in the centre of the lobby, lighting up every so often, with a number of faux presents on the floor and plastic reindeers by the tree.

"Someone ought to fix the Christmas tree," Rose muttered. "It keeps lighting up for no apparent reason."

The grin on Jake's face was unmistakably Cheshire cat like.

"No, man. No way," Mickey protested. Rose was suitably impressed.

"Come on," Rose said. "Let's get this over and done with."

The the three musketeers put their guns away and started to tear parts of the tree down. She could not resist kicking the presents away from the tree. And then, behind the large tree was the Tardis. There were ferns stuck to the blue panels with sticky tape that Rose pulled off.

And there it was, the Tardis. Rose put her hand on the doors; she could feel the weariness emanating from the Tardis.

Rose reached for the key around her neck. "I promise you, girl, I'll take care of you. But we need to find the Chameleon Arch." Rose slipped the key into the Tardis keyhole and watched it turn smoothly.

The console room was as dark as the last time she entered. For the first time throughout the entire operation, doubt flitted through Rose's mind. Was she being undeniably naïve by assuming she could strap a chameleon arch onto a Time Lord? Who had a laser screwdriver? And then what? Switch the on button? Tell the alien spaceship to throw the on button? Was it that simple?

"Now what?" Mickey asked.

The Tardis was still silent. "Wait here," Rose instructed. "I'm going to look for it. Don't split up, we can get lost. If anything happens, lock the door. Nothing can come through the doors." Rose walked quickly through the many corridors of the Tardis, praying this Tardis was no different from her Doctor's.

"Where is it, girl?" Rose asked aloud as she walked down the dimly lit corridors. Rose had her hands on the walls of the Tardis to guide her as she walked. The Tardis remained muted with a very noticeable presence.

"I'm not letting him have you," Rose said. Silence still. As though with great reluctance, the Tardis entered her mind and guided her. She walked, passing by many corridors she wasn't sure existed in the first place before entering a dusty room filled with junk — Rose shivered — that seemed to come from various torture chambers throughout the universe.

Rose walked through the items, allowing the Tardis to guide her. She walked up to a device that looked like it could crush a person's skull. Rose shuddered again, what exactly does the chameleon arch do?

No time for contemplation. Rose grabbed the chameleon arch over the mess of other alien devices. The metal was cool in her hands. "Guys! I got it!" she shouted out. Holding it tight, she ran out of the room.

As Rose ran through the corridors, she could feel that something was wrong. The hum of the Tardis in her mind was low, it was frightened. Rose stopped, her run halting to a slow walking pace. They were not alone.

Clutching the chameleon arch tightly in her hands, Rose walked into the console room. For the first time since she stepped into the Tardis, the console room was lit up. The Tardis pulsed, but like a dying creature, its pulse was weak and light. Rose watched as she crept slowly into the console room, a man flipping through the switches and navigating through the Tardis console with ease.

Rose couldn't help the sharp intake of breath. The man at the console turned and smiled at her.

"Hello, Rose, so wonderful of you to join us," said the Master.

***

It was only through years of training and expecting the worst did Rose not drop the Chameleon Arch in her hands. The sight of the Master only served to grip the chameleon arch tighter.

"Where's Mickey and Jake?" Rose asked.

"You keep losing your friends," said the Master, turning his attention back on the console. He flipped a few switches and the time rotor whirred into life. But the Tardis remained where it was.

"Funny, happens when you're around. Can't be me then," Rose replied, her voice steel. The blessed thing was that neither Jake nor Mickey's bodies were on the floor. She had to assume that they were out there somewhere, alive.

The Master grinned and leaned on the console facing her. "You're not going to stop me with that, are you?" he said, pointing to the chameleon arch.

"With what?"

"The chameleon arch," the Master sat on the console. "Didn't the Doctor explain to you how it worked?"

Rose's cheeks burned in embarrassment and shame at the very stupid assumption that she'd figure out how to use it on the Master at any time. She dropped the chameleon arch on the floor.

"Sorry, must have missed his explanation. Was hoping I could just strap it on to you and I don't know. Zap you or something."

"Don't you love me for who I am?" the Master sighed

"You've infiltrated Torchwood, hunted me down and now possibly killed my friends? -" Rose began listing, her voice starting to shake from Master shook his head, "Your friends are not dead. At least, not yet," he interrupted at Rose's suggestions that he murdered her friends. Rose continued, her voice unwavering, "- and now trying to steal the Tardis? No, I don't love you. I don't even like you that much."

The Master's face darkened at the suggestion that he might be trying to steal the Tardis. "It is the only Tardis in the universe left," he snapped. "As the only Time Lord left in the universe, it is my right." He shrugged, flipping a few more switches before turning to face her. He started to drum a beat on the side of the console, Rose recognized it as the same beat Harry used to drum — a nervous habit.

"She doesn't want you." Rose said quietly.

"Is that why the Tardis will not respond to my commands?" he asked. He turned around to the console again and flipped a few switches and slammed down one of the levers, hard. Rose jumped. It sounded like the Tardis was going to break."Is it because you're part of the circuit now, Rose Tyler?"

Part of the circuit? Rose could feel her breath hitch in her throat.

"Of all the things the universe had to leave me with, they left me a Tardis attached to one of the Doctor's pets," the Master said spitefully.

"What do you want the Tardis for?"

"Do you hear it? It's so loud, Rose," the Master spoke airily. "The sound of drums, the beats, the call to war. I need the Tardis, Rose. To end everything."

"End what?" Rose all but squeaked.

The Master's eyes lit with insanity and fury. "The Time War."

"The Time War is over," Rose said roughly. "The Doctor made sure of it."

"Is he around?" the Master asked disinterestedly but as hard as he tried to hide it, he could not hide the desperation to know if any of his kind remained in the universe.

"No," Rose said bluntly.

"Of course he would be gone," the Master rolled his eyes. "So like him to leave me be." The Master laughed bitterly. 'I am the Last of the Time Lords,' he said deliberately, the announcement grandiose and yet meaningless. "Once an ancient and mighty race reduced to dust and rubble. Oh, the universe is funny that way. What is a Time Lord without Gallifrey?"

Gallifrey. The planet of the Time Lords. Rose could feel the tears rush to her eyes. "I'm sorry," she whispered.

"The universe should be sorry," the Master snarled. But the fury disappeared as soon as it came, his head tilted as he grinned manically. His eyes betrayed an unhinged mind — this Time Lord was insane. "But it won't be that way for long."

Through the open doors, Rose could hear sounds of marching that she wished never having to hear again.

"What have you done?" Rose whispered plaintively.

The Master jumped off the console and grabbed her collar and half pulled, half dragged Rose to the open doors of the Tardis. He pulled her close to him, his hands around her waist. "Look," he purred sensuously to Rose. "Look around you. Look at the future."

What Rose saw gave her a mixed sensation of relief and devastation. She nearly sobbed in relief when she saw both Mickey and Jake, on the floor, humiliated and handcuffed but breathing. Breathing and alive.

But whatever joy she might have felt was quickly replaced by despair. Mickey and Jake were surrounded by Torchwood operatives, her own teammates who could not bring themselves to look her in the eye. And behind the Torchwood operatives were dozens, no, more than dozens of Cybermen standing guard. Lucy Saxon was standing there with a wide grin, waiting for accolades from her Lord and Master.

The Master pulled Rose closer, till she could feel his cool breath on her face. "This is the future. This planet has a ready army, ready for war. The Cybermen will serve me. Soon the universe will be at war. What I need is now is the Tardis."

The Master shoved Rose to the ground. "Rose!" Mickey croaked. Mickey pushed himself off the ground, but one of the operatives kicked Mickey down.

"You have it," Rose spat. "I can't stop you, can I? I'm just a stupid ape to you Time Lords."

The Master's face darkened with fury as he knelt down and pulled Rose's hair to face him. Rose winced in pain. "You're part of the circuit now. What did the Doctor do for it to obey you?"

Rose laughed. The Master yanked her hair tighter, tears rolled down her eyes from the pain. "Make the Tardis obey me," he said dangerously.

"Even the Doctor thought that this human was better than a Time Lord like you," Rose spat, grasping for straws. She was lost now. "Last of the Time Lords. Without a Tardis. Pathetic," added Rose for good measure.

The Master released her hair and pushed her aside. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the laser screwdriver and aimed it at her. "You will make the Tardis obey me, or you will die."

Rose sat up gingerly, her head was aching from the Master's manhandling. Instead of panic, Rose had this insane desire to laugh. She looked up at the Master, defiantly.

"Kill me. And you'll have the Tardis," she taunted.

The Master's eyes were icy, his expression unreadable. "Do not tempt me, Rose Tyler."

"Is that the reason why you survived the Time War?" the fury in Rose continued to build. Rose found within her a fury she never thought she had and she wanted to goad him and to torment him. "Is it because you ran away, Time Lord?"

The Master froze for a second. When it seemed like he was going to shoot Rose, he suddenly turned and aimed for Mickey. And at the moment the Master shot Mickey, something within Rose's mind clicked.

And Rose was no more.

***  
Mickey watched as Rose goaded the Master. Don't, wanted to scream. Stop it Rose. Give him the Tardis. Rose was inviting death to her doorstep. The words were stuck as his throat, as he opened his mouth to shout, blood would spill out.

His eyes were blurred from blood and sweat but he knew Rose was tempting Fate. He needed to stop her, she needed to give up. Give up the Tardis. But Rose was Rose and once she had set her mind to it, she would stop at nothing to get what she wanted. Jimmy Stone. The Doctor and now, to protect the Tardis.

He watched as the Master took aim at Rose. This was not Harry Saxon; this man was not going to hesitate to kill her. He should stop him. He had to stop the Master. He cannot hurt Rose.

Mickey struggled to stand up before being booted down again by one of his team members. His face slammed on the marble floor again.

He could hear Rose becoming more hysterical as she challenged the Master's authority. Even Lucy Cole was getting agitated as Rose provoked the Master.

Mickey could only watch as the Master turned in fury, turned the laser screwdriver and aimed at him. Mickey could only smile. Better him than Rose. He closed his eyes and waited to meet his maker. The sound of the laser was stinging and the smell of ozone sharp as it singed through the air. And yet….

He did not die.

He opened his eyes and the Master who was earlier so confident now was wracked with fear. He was pale as though something terrible had just occurred.

And something terrible had indeed happened. Behind the Master stood Rose, all golden. Her presence was ethereal; she emanated light and fire. Mickey shuddered involuntarily. Rose's eyes. They were inhuman eyes, lacking in whites and blazing in fire and gold. She had her hands outstretched and her eyes lacked pity. That was not Rose, it was a terrible goddess who raged.

The Master, the fucking coward, hopped out of the Tardis his breathing heavy from fear.

The Tardis whirred into life and the golden goddess was drawn into the Tardis. The doors slammed shut, reminiscent of, Mickey remembered as he began to lose consciousness, the time he saved the universe in a big yellow truck. The Tardis dematerialized from Torchwood and the last thought Mickey had was that he may never see Rose again.


	23. Chapter 22: Regeneration

**Chapter 22 - Regeneration**

The first thing that assaulted Rose's senses was the smell of apple grass. The second thing she felt was the warmth of the sun. Rose opened her eyes, feeling more refreshed, her mind clearer and calmer than she had been for ages.

"Hello, Rose," said an ethereal voice.

If Rose was expecting the Doctor, she was mistaken. Rose sat up and nearly jumped out of her skin when she saw herself sitting cross-legged on the grass, picking through the apple grass, fascinated. The other Rose picked at the grass, sniffed it, tasted it before throwing it away. And she did it over and over again.

"Who are you?" Rose asked.

The second Rose stopped playing with the grass and looked at her kindly. Rose assumed she looked at her kindly, the other Rose did not have eyes as humans would, the whites and irises were all gold. She had an unearthly glow, an otherworldly presence. Despite the human form this Rose had, she did not feel human and when Rose looked into those golden eyes, the only way she could describe it was that she was looking into eternity.

"I am the Bad Wolf. Don't you remember me?"

Rose stared at the radiating version of herself. "Somewhat," she finally said. "It's a bit hazy right now."

The Bad Wolf nodded in sympathy. "It will always be a bit hazy. The Doctor locked up your memories."

"My Doctor?"

"Your Doctor."

Rose paused and watched the Bad Wolf pick through the grass again. "Who are you?" Rose repeated.

"The Bad Wolf. You created me when you saved the Doctor from the Daleks."

The Bad Wolf smiled. Rose was starting to feel nervous around her. "I don't remember saving the Doctor," Rose said.

"A good thing maybe," said the Bad Wolf thoughtfully, as she tilted her head to watch Rose. "I do not think it's something most humans should remember. Won't do you any good."

Rose looked around. She was in New New York again with the flying cars whizzing by. "Am I in my imagination again? Is the Tardis doing this?"

"I'm doing this," the Bad Wolf replied smoothly as she plucked at the grass. There was a small patch on the ground that was bald from the Bad Wolf's incessant picking. "The Tardis is in the Time Vortex, recovering."

"Why are you doing this?"

The Bad Wolf stopped. "To ask you a question."

Rose felt the world around her grow colder but the sun remained high in the sky, its rays beating down on Rose's body.

"Which is?"

"I can stop the Master," the Bad Wolf said. "More than just the Master. All the cruelty in this universe. Gone. I can give life." The Bad Wolf waved her hand and grass grew on the balding patch on the ground. "We can end all pain and the suffering in the universe."

Rose trembled. The immense power. How was it possible that she was this? She was just Rose Tyler. "I am you?" she asked in disbelief.

"You created me, Rose, I serve you," the Bad Wolf said. "You can have whatever your heart desires, from Harry to the Doctor. Your Doctor."

To see her Doctor again.

The Bad Wolf appeared next to Rose, touching her on the face. She touched Rose on the chest. "The Doctor tried so hard to protect you, killing himself for you…but he couldn't save you. Time has tempered with your soul."

"What do you mean, killing himself? He-" but Rose speech was hushed by the Bad Wolf. She placed her finger on Rose's lips. "He tried to protect you. Noble sentiment of a Time Lord. But it is only I who can and always will protect you."

Rose pushed the Bad Wolf's hands aside and crawled backwards away from the Bad Wolf.

"Do not fear me, my child," said the Bad Wolf kindly.

The power of life and death, destruction and creation in her hands. "No, I wouldn't have wanted this. Not then. And not now." Rose protested.

"And how will you save this universe from the Master?" asked the Bad Wolf. "How will a mere human protect the universe from a Time Lord? We can end everything, Rose. End all suffering. Even his."

"The Master suffers?" Rose asked.

"All of life suffers," the Bad Wolf replied cryptically.

"If I could help him," Rose said, ignoring the Bad Wolf. "There must be another way to help him."

"If that is what you want," the Bad Wolf said crisply. The Bad Wolf looked up at Rose. "You could have had so much more."

And with the Bad Wolf's words, Rose opened her eyes.

***

The first thing Rose thought of when she woke up was her habit of waking up with grill marks on her back. She wondered how long she had been lying down on the Tardis floor. It had been years since she had bruises from falling to the floor of the Tardis. She wondered if this was going to be a more common occurrence.

Her neck was sore and her body ached. Was it all a dream? The Master coming into the Tardis. Rose turned her head and saw the broken remains of the chameleon arch on the floor. No, no dream. He was here.

Rose shuddered as the memories of the night filtered through her mind. She remembered being dragged out of the Tardis by the Master. She remembered Mickey — oh, Mickey — being kicked and humiliated on the floor. She remembered the Master wielding the laser screwdriver and aiming for Mickey. Rose's eyes filled with tears. Mickey, her mum and Tony. Dad. The feeling of being alone threatened to overwhelm her. Taking a few deep breaths, she calmed herself. She should not think of them right now.

And that was all she could remember. She could be mistaken but she thought there was a dream where she met her doppelganger, had a conversation but to be fair to herself, she might have hit her head pretty hard. It was a rough night. Rose got up slowly; her head hurt and it felt like it was going to explode. She held onto the console as the room began to spin; she felt sick and she was sure that she could just throw up. Rose sat back down, thinking of closing her eyes and leaving standing up for later.

After taking a few deep breaths, Rose felt that could finally stand up. That was when she saw the time rotor moving. The Tardis. It was moving and flying. Whatever nausea Rose felt disappeared as soon as she realized the Tardis was moving. Rose grabbed the screen on the console was dark. She pressed a few buttons hoping to switch it on.

Nothing.

"Okay, girl, you have to tell me what to do because the last thing I need right now is to end up like on another planet and ten thousand years into the future," Rose said, a little panicked.

Rose closed her eyes and opened her mind. She could feel the Tardis coming into her mind. It was not so much communication, but nudging. The Tardis guided her on where to look, which switches to switch off

"Well, old girl, let's hope I learn to fly you one day instead of you telling me what to do," said Rose. She was beginning to sound like the Doctor.

The Time Rotor stopped. Instead of the crash Rose was used to when the Doctor flew the Tardis, the Tardis seemed to land gently. The floor rumbled below her as they landed, she nearly tripped over but for the most part, it was all good.

"Where are we?" Rose asked. There was no response from the Tardis. If only she actually knew how to get the screen to work or fly the Tardis to some place practical. This was impossible. She needed a Time Lord.

"When are we?"

Still no response. The only way to find out was to actually step outside the Tardis. Step into the real world and find out where she was and how much things had changed. Pulling the hoodie over her head just to be safe, Rose opened the door of the Tardis.

And came face to face with a Cyberman. Rose slammed the door shut again.

Alright, still on Earth. Possibly the day after what happened at Torchwood. Rose opened the door of the Tardis, a crack this time. The Cybermen still stood in front of the door for a moment before marching away. Rose watched the Cybermen disappear into the distance. A man walked past by the Tardis complaining. Rose couldn't catch much of the words, only could hear him mutter in hushed tones something about the Master.

Still in the UK. Possibly Cardiff if it was a place where the Tardis needed to refuel. Possibly still Britain's most wanted.

"Well then," Rose said. "A wardrobe change is in order."

***

Rose left the Tardis about an hour later, with a shorter and a little jagged haircut which she attempted on herself, and a much darker shade of brown that she was used to. She had a pair of glasses on. If it could work for Clark Kent, it should work for Rose Tyler.

Rose took a deep breath and she stepped out of the Tardis slowly. The piazza where the Tardis had landed was mostly empty. It was cold, very much colder than the night they breached Torchwood. Rose did not want to speculate how much longer ago it had been.

There were Cybermen everywhere. Most of them stood in front of various shops standing guard. There were a few people walking around but if they did, they heads were bowed low avoiding eye contact. The streets were unnaturally quiet for what Rose presumed to be a working day. Rose ducked her head and walked quickly, passing by posters of her. Wanted: Rose Tyler.

Rose entered a grocery door, the bell ringing. Most of the shelves were empty and the magazine counters empty. There were stacks of newspapers on the floor, news that remained unread. The lady running the grocery store appeared haggard and thin, her hair graying.

Rose picked up the newspaper and pulled out some money. The lady at the counter looked at Rose cynically. "You're a supporter of the Master?" she asked suspiciously. "No one but the Master supporters read the papers."

Rose shook her head, unsure on what to say. She glanced at the headlines. The headlines screamed something about the new Draft that was introduced.

"Reading about the draft," said Rose, her voice quiet and low. "I have a brother drafted already." Rose crossed her fingers behind her back, hoping the lie would be enough to cover her.

The lie paid off. The lady's suspicion immediately switched to sympathy. "I'm sorry," she said. "I shouldn't have intruded."

Rose shook her head and kept her head down. "It's alright."

Rose took out some money to pay for the newspapers when the lady shook her head. She pushed the papers into Rose's hands and a piece of chocolate. Rose was about to protest when the lady smiled at her, her eyes a mixture of sadness and hope.

"You look like Rose Tyler," the woman said brokenly. "Do you think she's still alive? There are rumours she's fighting a war to save us all."

Rose stiffened. She nodded goodbye and left the shop. She walked quickly, wanting to head back into the Tardis. What world did she come back into? _When _ did she come back into?

She was close to approaching the Tardis when she heard the sound of a Cyberman marching, gaining upon her. She wasn't fast enough when a cold metal hand grabbed her on the shoulder.

"Halt! Or you will be deleted!"


	24. Chapter 23: Being Catalogued

**Chapter 23 - Being Catalogued**

Rose stopped, and her heartbeat began to race. A few more Cybermen marched up towards her. Rose could see the few people on the street entering shops hurriedly wanting to avoid any confrontation between Cybermen and the unfortunate girl.

Rose turned around to face the Cybermen. Three more joined in with the one that stopped Rose. Rose maintained an expressionless face.

"Identify Catalogue Number," said the Cyberman.

Rose wracked her brains, thinking up anything, something she could say. To which she could only reply a meek, "I don't have one."

The cold metal hand remained on her shoulder. Rose looked around and wondered if there was any possible way she could outrun these machines.

"You will be taken away to be catalogued," the Cyberman said. "If we find you suitable, you will be upgraded." Rose struggled against the grip of the Cybermen. The Cybermen began to march and half-dragged Rose along the pavement. After moments of struggling, Rose finally gave in and half-jogged, half-strode along with the Cybermen to keep up.

At the very best, Rose hoped that the answers that she was looking for was wherever the Cybermen were taking her. At the very worst, she hoped she could request for a more flattering Cyber figure.

***

Rose was shoved onto a dirty truck, filled with small disheveled children who were sobbing quietly. There were a few adults as well, just as shabbily dressed as the children, with vacant eyes and gaunt faces. Rose attempted to catch their eyes but as soon as their eyes met, they would look away.

Everyone sat on the floor, without a single word, the silence punctuated only by sniffles of the young children. Rose attempted to reach out to the children but they were far too skittish that they backed away from her, preferring to huddle together and cry. Rose huddled amidst the crowd as the truck drove away.

The journey was an hour long on bumpy and windy roads. Rose was relieved when the truck stopped, since all the movement was making her rather ill. The Cybermen opened the latch to the truck, and men with guns entered.

"Move, people. Move."

They crawled out of the truck. Rose's legs were a little cramped from sitting uncomfortably, but she ignored the sensation as she took in where she was. They were somewhere in the countryside, where a cottage or what used to be a cottage stood. In its state, it seemed like an office of sorts, cars parked around it and people walking in and out, doing what they needed to do. Every one of them had their heads bowed low, refusing to meet each other's gaze. Cybermen marched with men who had earpods in their ears. Rose shuddered. It had been years since she last saw people in earpods, and the effect was just as terrifying since the last she had seen.

"Proceed through the entrance to be catalogued," the man with the gun said. The group entered and Rose followed with trepidation, wondering what would be behind these closed doors.

***

After hours of waiting in a small and dirty waiting room, Rose was then shifted from counter to counter, where unsmiling nurses poked and prodded her and made her fill up endless forms.

Rose wanted to roll her eyes at the number of forms she had to fill in. The Master had taken bureaucracy to a new evil level.

"What date is it?" she had asked the orderly who had given her a form.

"Don't you know?" the orderly snapped.

Rose shook her head, no. The orderly pointed to a worn out calendar on the wall. "Huh." Three months since Torchwood. She had missed Christmas but not winter.

There was a full medical examination and blood samples were taken, presumably for DNA testing, before Rose was placed in front of an interviewer. The interviewer was a mild man, frazzled with graying hair. His table was stacked with papers and he was writing with a pencil.

"Bother," he said when his pencil broke. "I really didn't want to use this." The man sighed before opening his drawer and he took out a lovely fountain pen. He gave a gloomy smile. "My last pen. I didn't want to use it; it's really hard to get ink replacements nowadays."

Rose smiled sympathetically; it seemed like the right thing to do. She glanced around them, there were mostly empty desks stacked with papers with one or two other frazzled officers conducting interviews. None of them, she noticed, had a laptop or PC terminals.

"Kinda miss those days where laptops and PCs were readily available, huh?" Rose said cautiously.

The man in front of her smiled, nostalgic. "Those were the days. Pre our Lord and Master," he said wistfully. The friendly demeanor soon faded and the man was all professional once more. "So, Miss…Granger?"

"Just call me Hermione," Rose replied.

"Hermione. My name is Stuart Brown and I am your placement officer. My job is to get you placed and catalogued." Brown cleared his throat and adjusted his glasses, taking a good look at Rose. "So can you please tell me your skill sets and what sort of work you could do?"

Skill sets? "Uh…"

"Are you a doctor?" Brown continued without waiting for an answer. "See, we've tried to find you in our database, but with the Cybermen and Torchwood takeover, it would be months to find you."

"No."

"Any medical experience? Cooking?"

Rose shook her head again.

"Any good with children?"

Rose's eyes widened. "I, uh…"

"Miss Granger, please. I am trying to help you," Brown said a little exasperatedly. "You do understand if we don't place you somewhere, you'd automatically be handed over to the Cybermen for upgrading."

"Upgrading?" Rose asked, a little shocked.

Brown's face mirrored the shock Rose felt. "You didn't know? Any unsuitable candidates are immediately taken for upgrading!" And then a little kindly, "You're lucky you're here. We have very low numbers turned in for upgrading. We try to put as many people in placements."

Rose nodded. She looked around before leaning over. "I'm sorry. I was…running away for the longest time. I got caught and I have no idea how things worked around here. Here being…" Rose shrugged helplessly.

Brown nodded in sympathy and understanding. 'You're not the first one," he replied. "I'll try the best I can. Here being Coventry, by the way.'

Coventry, Rose thought in wonderment. What happened to Cardiff? There was silence as Edward wrote on his paper. A tired-looking woman entered the office and shuffled over to Edward as quickly as she could. She handed him a piece of paper and whispered into his ear, something that had an effect to which he paled. Not good. Was her cover blown?

Finally, Rose said, "I can work a gun. Very well."

It was an unspoken threat. Brown looked up at her, slightly nervous. "How well?"

"All types of guns."

Brown grinned, a little too pleased with Rose's revelation. "Good to hear. We're placing you in Security. Welcome to Torchwood, Miss Granger."

***

It was almost nightfall by the time Rose was done. Rose was assigned to a housing area somewhere near the city, handed a grey overalls which was to be her uniform, and told that she would be shipped off for training first thing tomorrow morning.

Brown had a kind smile as he shook her hand. "We all do our bit to help the Master," he said. But his face suggested otherwise. Rose decided she did not trust him and kept mostly to herself. She got back on the same cramped lorry that took her to the cataloguing area. This time, the number of passengers was less than the ones that came along on the earlier ride. Rose felt a tinge of regret for being unable to help these people but their absence made Rose more determined to find a way to save everyone.

When the lorry stopped, it was a mile-long trek to a run-down housing estate. As inappropriate as it was, Rose felt a slight twinge of familiarity and nostalgia as she walked through the area. It was considerably more run-down though than the Powell Estates, with trash littered over the roads, a hungry stray dog scavenging for food and a foul smell that permeated throughout. Rose wondered if the sewage still functioned in the city.

'I can stop the Master,' whispered a voice around her, an unfamiliar yet familiar voice.

Rose stopped walking, and looked around. There was no one around her and she shivered. Despite the stench on the streets, Rose took a deep breath to calm herself.

She found the home she was meant to live in. It was in a small, neglected four bedroom house. She knocked on the door a few times but there was no answer. Cautiously she pushed the door open. The house was freezing, the radiator was cold to the touch.

"Hello?" Rose called out.

A young woman popped her head over the staircase. "Hermione? Hermione Granger?" she asked.

Rose nodded. The woman, petite but tough-looking, bounded down the staircase and hugged Rose, to Rose's surprise. "Another survivor," she said. Rose reluctantly hugged the woman back. Only three months had past and she had been thrown into a world that she barely recognized.

"We're so happy that you're here," the woman continued, her voice wavering with emotion. When they released from each other, Rose was shocked that the woman's eyes were tearing up.

"I'm glad you're happy to meet me," Rose said a little incredulously. "I'm pleased to meet…"

"Linda," the woman but openly wept. "It's Linda Elliot. I'm with catering."

Rose was a little baffled but attempted to keep whatever shock she might have felt from her face but it was impossible.

Linda took her around the small house and introduced her to the rest of the tenants. Everyone seemed equally as weepy and touched to have met her. Not all tenants were there, "There's ten of us," Linda explained wistfully. "But some of them are working the night shift at the factory."

"The factory?"

Linda nodded. "The weapons factory, rumour is that planet Earth will be going to war soon. With whom though, we're not so sure."

Rose merely nodded.

Dinner was a minimal affair, with stale bread, water and vegetables from the dismal patch they call their vegetable garden. Linda chatted merrily but Rose rarely contributed to the conversation as she was distracted, formulating a way to escape and get back into the Tardis and hopefully figure a way to Mickey, Jake and Martha. They must be out there somewhere, alive and fighting. She knew they were.

Rose's sleeping quarters was an uncomfortable mattress on the floor. Rose lay down, hoping that there were no bed bugs and wondered if it were safe to sleep. As Rose lay her head on the pillow, sleep came fast and quick.

***  
It was New New York again. Rose stood on the grass facing the Bad Wolf. The Bad Wolf was leaning on the Tardis, her arms folded across her chest.

"Do you still think the Master deserves compassion, Rose?" the Bad Wolf asked. " The war must end."

"Everyone deserves compassion," Rose replied.

***

The Master moaned in ecstasy as Lucy rubbed away the knots on his shoulder. A few months ago, she would have been excited to elicit such a response from him; today, well, she just felt that he was just using her.

"Could you go in a little deeper, Lucy?" the Master asked throatily. Was he being intentionally cruel? He must know how she felt about him. Yet, she complied with his demands, working her fingers up by his neck, smoothing away whatever knots remained.

The Master sighed. "You're fantastic, Lucy." Lucy did not say another word, merely picked up her notebook. The Master stretched on his chair and put his black jacket on. Lucy could not bring herself to look at him. She loathed herself, loathed herself for loving him, for desiring him though he treated her like… she did not want to dwell on the topic. It was best she left him be in his office.

"Where are you going?" the Master asked, his eyes not moving from the telly. Lucy froze. She recognized that tone. A quiet sort of rage behind the pretence of normality. He had not yet become violent on her, but Lucy was scared that one day he might. She had seen his rage, a quiet and forceful rage that she had known no man of having. But he had remained so kind to her and to her father, she was obliged to do what he wanted her to do.

"Work on the Sycorax. The rest of their fleet will be coming soon," Lucy replied quietly. The Master rolled his eyes. "All work and no play makes Lucy a dull girl" he said emphasizing dull girl. Lucy stiffened at the insinuation but put on a very bright smile. "Very well then," she said brightly. "What would you like me to do?"

The Master switched off the telly. Lucy could not tell if he looked like an angel or a demon in the light of a fireplace. The light gave him an otherworldly presence, his facial expressions were so cold, like an angel of death. It reminded Lucy time and time again that this man was not human.

"Talk to me, Lucy," he said, stretching out in his chair but all focus was on Lucy. Lucy stood by the edge of his grand space, not wanting to come too close to his domain. "Has there been any news on Rose Tyler?"

"No," Lucy was quick to reply. She couldn't stop the jealousy from creeping into her voice. She tried to compose herself. "No," Lucy repeated again, a little more professionally. "There were sightings of a woman that looked like Rose Tyler, but no other news."

The Master shrugged. Lucy was about to excuse herself when there was a knock on the door.

Lucy knew that the Master hated to be interrupted, so she took it upon herself to open the door for him. Outside was a young enthusiastic soldier, eager to please.

"Excuse me, Miss Cole. There have been some news about Rose Tyler," he said optimistically. Rose Tyler? God, it can't be. She took a quick look at the Master, who was off his seat now and fiddling around with the stereo system. He was going to pick some loud dance music that would make conversation impossible.

Lucy slipped out the door and closed the door behind her. Behind closed doors were thumping sounds of the drumbeats from one of the dance numbers the Master was so fond off.

The young soldier handed her a file which she flipped through quickly. There were pictures inside, mostly from a Cyberman's viewcam. The Cybermen were leading a woman with short dark brown hair away. She went through several blow ups of each picture.

Each picture showed an even greater close up of a woman as they brought her in to be catalogued. The closest shot of the woman was blurry but her identity was unmistakable. It was Rose Tyler, despite the new hair and the glasses.

"She calls herself Hermione Granger. They misplaced her DNA testing but it came back positive for a Miss Rose Tyler. Torchwood has gone looking for her, she's been assigned to a housing estate in Coventry, it would be a matter of time before we pick her up."

Lucy nodded stiffly and dismissed the young man. This was not the news she wanted to hear. She didn't bother to knock on the door as she re-entered the Master's office.

The music had stopped playing but the Master was standing over his desk, a manic grin plastered on his face.

"Don't tell me," the Master said. "Rose Tyler has come home to Daddy."

***

It was the whispers that woke Rose up. Rose opened her eyes and sat straight up ready to defend herself. But a hand clamped over her mouth and there was a familiar click of a gun. Rose could feel the cold steel of the mouth of a gun on the back of her head.

"Don't move," a voice whispered harshly.

Another pair of hands threw on a blindfold over her eyes and another then pulled her hands behind her back and tied them up. A man — Rose presumed it was a man based on his heavy footsteps — leaned over. Rose could feel his breath on her skin.

"Rose Tyler, you're coming with us."


	25. Chapter 24: New World

_A/N: As always, thank you for reading and reviewing!_

**Chapter 24: New World**

The kidnappers dragged Rose off the mattress onto her feet. They guided her down the stairs carefully and opened the front door. The cool night air greeted Rose. There were more than a few men or women with them. They pulled her into what Rose was certain was an unmarked van. Rose could hear the slide of the door before the van tore down the street.

One of Rose's kidnappers pulled off the tape from her mouth. It stung. "Rose Tyler?" the man asked again.

"Depends on who's asking," Rose retorted.

"Are you Rose Tyler?" he repeated again.

"My name is Hermione Granger." Rose replied irritably. "Now mind telling me why I've been kidnapped."

"If you're Hermione Granger, tell us how you happen to share Rose Tyler's DNA?" the man asked her, his voice triumphant as though he was throwing down his trump card.

Rose was about to make a witty comeback but she stopped herself. The voice was familiar, like someone on her old team. "David?" she asked cautiously.

There was a pause before the blindfolds went off and the ropes were cut away from her wrists. In front of her was her old team mate from Torchwood, which seemed so long ago. He had a stubble and there were bags under his eyes He looked much worse for wear from the last time she had seen him. Next to him were one other man and a woman. They both eyed her suspiciously, the lack of trust apparent.

Not for the first time since she had returned here, Rose wondered what had happened to the world since she had left. What had the Master put the world through. Rose felt a little guilty for somehow fast-forwarding through the entire experience.

"Rose?" he asked gingerly.

"Depends on who's asking," she replied, gentler this time with a little humour. David reached out to her and hugged her.

"We thought," he began, his voice trembling with emotion. "- that you were dead. There were rumours that you survived. Mickey said you would."

"Oh, God. Mickey, how is he?"

David released Rose from their embrace. His smile was forced and a little sad. "The Master still has him and Jake," David said. "There's very few of us, trying to make our way around. Underground movement."

Rose felt a hint of pride within. Her team was still her team; despite the Master, they would continue fighting.

David ran a hand through his shaggy, greasy hair. "We thought…" David started. He paused and took a deep breath. "We thought you died. There were rumours about the Tardis exploding and you with it."

Rose could not respond. Instead she turned to him and said, "Thank you for rescuing me."

David shrugged. "Don't mention it. It should be Stuart Brown, your placement officer who you should be thanking. He alerted us to it when the DNA results matched yours."

"I didn't think…and I was suspicious of him. Thought he was going to turn me in or something," said Rose.

David gave Rose a wry smile."He would have eventually turned you in to Torchwood. But he gave us a big enough heads up."

***

The drive was long and bumpy, Rose assumed that she was going back into the countryside, away from the Tardis. She wondered if this was going to be a trend in this new life of hers. Near the Tardis, away from the Tardis, near the Tardis again and even further away from the Tardis.

There was not much conversation in the van. Rose was introduced to the rest of David's team. Jo was their electronics engineer. Alex, the team's muscle, a man who Rose thought was unpleasant, kept eyeing her warily.

David mostly stole glances at Rose and looked away. He was a teammate of hers back in the Torchwood days. She wasn't that close to him then. Funny how things had to be referred to as the old Torchwood days. It was only yesterday for her.

Rose sighed. It had been three years since the Doctor and now she had to get back to the swing of time travel but just without the Doctor. The thought of traveling through space and time without the Doctor made her feel unbearably lonely. She hoped he was alright, wherever he was and that he was not alone.

"So where are we going?" Rose asked finally.

"Hiding," David answered succinctly.

"Hiding?" Rose asked, a little stricken.

David gave her a sharp look. "They're looking for you. I'm not about to lose you just as we've found you."

Rose bit her tongue, withholding a sharp retort that was forming. But before she could compose herself and speak her mind, David interrupted her with a wistful and sad "Where were you?"

Jo pretended not to be interested in the answer but Rose could see she was listening in.

"In the Tardis," she answered simply.

"For three months?" David asked incredulously. "We needed you," he muttered quietly.

Rose almost missed his words over the rattling of the van and the bumpy roads. Rose wondered how to answer him, to explain that the all powerful Time Lord ship could travel back and forwards in time. She couldn't. She pretended not to hear him instead.

***

Rose woke up when the cold had crept into her bones and it became impossible to sleep anymore. In her tent, Jo was snoring away softly, oblivious to the cold. Rose tried to make herself as comfortable as possible in her sleeping bag, pulling her winter coat on top of her to keep warm, but the cold was in her bones and her muscles ached from it.

Rose sat up and rubbed her arms, trying to warm herself up but it was not of much use. She could see her breath frosting in the air despite the darkness. She envied Jo who continued to sleep.

Rose pulled herself out of the sleeping bag, as quietly as possible and made her way out of the tent. They had set up camp in some bleak park, far away from human activity for their own safety. If Rose closed her eyes, and pretended this was another time, another day, she could have been on any standard mission for Torchwood. Nothing of the sort of trouble she was in.

Slightly further from the tent, Rose could see a small fire going and a man sitting by the fire. She pulled her ratty coat on tighter and trudged her way towards the fire. Hopefully it would warm her bones.

As she came closer to the fire, she recognized the man as David, who sat down on a tree stump, staring forlornly at the fire. He was far from the David she knew a few months ago, thin, his clothes a few sizes too big from all the weight he had lost.

David's ears must have picked up the sound of Rose walking to him: in a split second he was up and his gun was pointed at Rose. She put up her hands. 'David, it's me.'

It took a few seconds before David relaxed. 'Sorry,' he mumbled. 'Bit jumpy lately. The Master's reign does that to you.'

Rose nodded. 'It's fine.' She patted her jacket. 'Thanks for the gun.'

He tilted his head. 'Huh,' he grunted before sitting back down.

'Coffee by any chance?' Rose joked as looked at the dented kettle that David propped on the fire.

'It's been ages since that time in the Antarctic,' David said with a smile. 'No, no coffee.'

'Pity.'

He reached the inside of his coat pocket and pulled out a teabag. 'I was saving this one. Do you want it?'

'No!' Rose protested. 'Save it for later. Or you could buy me a cup of tea when this is all over.'

David's smile was sardonic. 'Do you ever feel that this is going to end though? That we could return things to the way things were? Christmas and tea — no one would be able to forget the Master taking over the world,' David leaned back.

The kettle whistled that water was ready.

'What I would do for coffee,' David said. He picked up two mugs and poured the hot water into both before handing one. Rose sipped her hot water and realized that David, despite her objections had given her his sole tea bag.

'David…, ' she said.

'Sometime in the three months that you disappeared, you became our hero of sorts. Rumours were you were trying to find a way to bring the Master down. To hear you've been abducted by an alien spacecraft, well, it's just a bit disappointing. But I cannot say that I'm not glad to see you alive' David said with a shrug.

'I was not abducted,' she muttered. 'Well not quite.' She thought it was best to change the topic. 'So he's been looking for me?'

'Yeah, don't know why. Reports from the inside say he's got a bit of an obsession with you.'

Her first thought was Harry which she squashed as quickly as it rose unbidden. 'Probably because of the Tardis,' said Rose thoughtfully.

David looked at her quizzically. 'The blue box that we found in the Tundra? What's that got to do with anything that's going on right now?'

Rose brought her knees close to her chest as she sipped the tea. 'What do you know of the Master?'

'Only that he's some sort of alien. Time Person, or something like that.'

'Time Lord,' Rose corrected. 'The blue box, well that's a Time Lord's ship.'

'It's a bit of a peculiar shape for a spaceship,' David said a little incredulously. At Rose's look, he shrugged. 'I know, I know, you're the expert. Doesn't mean I have to like what you say.'

'It's not actually meant to look like a blue box. This Tardis had its chameleon circuit broken.'

'You sound like you know quite a bit about these aliens,' David said, although it was not mentioned in admiration. More akin to weariness.

'Knew one of them. A long time ago.' Rose shivered, unintentionally. Despite sitting as close as possible to the fire, she still felt very cold inside, no matter how hard she rubbed her arms.

'Can you ask them to stop this crazy one? Ring them up or something?' David asked, his eyes on his mug. But there was no denying the hope in his voice.

'There was a war. They're all dead now. The Master is the last of the Time Lords,' Rose answered.

'Oh?' David said. He took a deep breath and cracked a smile. 'We're fucked,' he said cheerfully.

'We are indeed,' Rose nodded. They sat in silence. Rose held onto the mug tightly, hoping the hot liquid would warm her freezing hands. David seemed to have degenerated into moping, perhaps what she had said was not the best thing to say. He must still look at her as team leader, and hoped for some direction from her.

'What can we do? What is everyone's plan forward?' Rose said, careful to keep her tone upbeat.

'Honestly, we have pockets of dissention everywhere, but nothing near to worldwide domination. It really is a bit like everyone being under a spell. Some scientist reckons it might be the Archangel network, sending signals out, keeping the human race docile,' David said. 'But that's just a theory anyway. Doctor Jones seems to believe it though.'

'Doctor Jones? As in Doctor Martha Jones from UNIT?'

'Yeah. You know her?'

'Seems like a lifetime ago now, though,' Rose admitted.

David held onto his own mug so tightly, Rose thought it might break. 'But the plan as of right now is, we hide.'

'So, your plan is to hide and fight off random Cybermen we come across, and hope for the best?' Rose asked with a frown.

'Hey, it's not like we're not trying,' David replied irritably. 'Doctor Jones feels that our only hope is to bring the Archangel network down,' he sighed as he looked at the sky. The stars were no longer visible, daylight was coming. 'Short of strapping ourselves to rockets and blowing up every single satellite, it's just a fantastic idea with no way of solving it.'

***

'You're crazy. You're absolutely mental,' Jo said.

It was morning and the entire team was up around the fire, or what remained of the fire. Rose wished David would not let the fire die out, she was still very cold but he was so distracted by Rose's suggestion that he stopped feeding the fire.

'We need a telepathic machine for that to work,' Jo said.

'Which we have. If the Archangel network works on telepathy, we have an alien machine that does exactly that,' Rose pointed out.

Alex grunted rudely, utterly unimpressed by her suggestion.

This was difficult for Rose. It had never occurred to her how much she had gotten used to being listened to. From Vitex heiress to team leader in Torchwood, no one questioned her judgment or her orders. They had accepted and executed.

On the other hand, she had literally appeared from nowhere, Jo thought she was abducted by aliens, Alex generally associated her with the same bimbo they wrote about in the magazines whilst only David stood by her side loyally.

'Look,' she tried again. 'All it takes is rounding up the best brains who could hack into the Archangel network. That, or busting Mickey out of Torchwood because I'm quite sure he could do it,' Rose said as confidently as possible.

Having said that, it sounded more ridiculous aloud then it did in her head.

'And then plugging it into some alien hardware that our Lord and Master is hell bent on getting to,' Alex muttered. He folded his big bulky arms; the beef in this operation was not buying it.

'Can you please not call him our Lord and Master, it's a little bit creepy,' Rose snapped. The hero-worship of the Master was starting to bother her; even David had a certain amount of deference when he spoke about the Master. David was right, everyone was under a certain spell.

Alex turned a little pink but did not reply.

'So we broadcast tonight on the underground channels, asking for any brilliant scientists,' David said confidently. 'We gather whatever help we can and get the Tardis out of the city and to a safe place.'

'Getting Mickey out, rounding the rest of these scientists. No one has been able to break into Torchwood and we're talking like it's a walk in the park.' Alex growled. He kicked a bit of dirt from the ground, the spray of dirt almost killing off the flickering fire. Rose was irritated, she was still freezing despite the rising sun. 'Your idea is absolute bollocks. It's fucking impossible.'

'Torchwood has always been about the impossible,' Rose challenged back, standing up to Alex. He was much taller than she was, he stared down at her but she returned the glare with an equally haughty look.

It was moments like these, moments where the Doctor had inspired and taught her beyond just being his companion. What it meant to fight and continue fighting and face opposition without any fear.

It was Alex who backed down. He looked away, took a step back, the universal act of giving in. Rose had won this round.

'Alright. We break the team in two, we broadcast tomorrow about what we need and we'll try and get the Tardis out,' David said sensibly, not caring about the show of bravado between the two.

'I'll do what I can,' Alex growled. He tossed the remainder of his water to the dying fire, effectively dousing it completely.

Years of work in Torchwood had honed her instinct — her judgment of character, hopefully was much better than her teenage years. Rose decided, without any rational reason that she did not like Alex. There was just something about him — and if she were running her team, she would not have picked Alex. Although beggars can't be choosers at this point, she could only hope that David knew what he was doing.

***

They were back in the same van, making their way to the city. The group was silent, their nerves were mostly shot. Alex was a local, having played double agent since the rise of the Master. He was the one who had most of the contacts with the underground factions in the area and he was the one who would handle getting the Tardis removed from the Piazza. Rose was not sure if she could actually fly the Tardis, God knows she wanted to avoid asking for help from that giggly phantom in her head that made her feel like she was going crazy. A physical removal made most sense at this point.

He had left the group in the morning to get things sorted, and in the quiet, while Rose and David continued with the planning, she confessed her fears to him.

'Huh? Think he's alright,' replied David a little crossly to her concerns. 'Half the things we do and that can happen are due to him.'

'Are you sure?' Rose asked.

'If you're suggesting he's up to no good, I'm not listening,' David said, his voice hard. He shrugged. 'There's only that many Cybermen in the city. There aren't that many conversions, the Master has them under control.'

Rose could have easily continued the argument but any more dissent would put the team in danger. It was irrational to just distrust someone based on gut instinct — and if David trusted Alex, she ought to as well. She acquiesced but thought it best to be on her toes just in case.

Alex was at the wheel, while the rest hid in the back of the van. They passed through a few checkpoints, at each checkpoint, Rose unconsciously held her breath under the blanket. She could see how Alex was important to the team; at each security checkpoint they were let through easily. The Cybermen guards did not question Alex's credentials nor did they search through the van.

As soon as they got to the outskirts of the city, the van rolled to a gentle stop.

'This is as far as it goes. Everyone on foot,' said Alex. Jo, Rose and David crawled from under the sheets that hid them in the van and got out. Rose stretched, her body ached from the cold floor. She checked her gun, more from habit than need whilst David helped Jo with the equipment from the van.

Alex on the other hand, had his back on the side of the van, humming a tune instead of helping Jo. Jo grunted as David helped her lift the broadcasting equipment onto her back.

'Alright gang,' Alex said finally turning to face the team. 'we split up. Rose you said the Tardis is at the piazza?'

She nodded.

'Well, when you're all done with your little radio gig, meet me at the Piazza. God knows how I'm going to do it but that beastly thing should be strapped to a truck to pull it out,' he said with a sardonic grin. Without a word, he walked off from the three with a slight jaunty tune.

Rose watched him leave a distance before saying aloud, 'I don't trust him.'

She could see the flickering of doubt in David's face. Jo looked at David, with trepidation, as though hoping that he would say something to dissuade Rose's suspicions.

'He's helped us, countless times. Come on,' he reasoned instead. 'We don't have much time.'

The number of Cyberman patrolling were sparse. They moved wordlessly, through the shadows, hidden. For some reason, it just felt too easy for Rose - almost although it was intentionally left empty for them. Jo had identified a building that still had electricity running, an apartment that usually housed the upper echelons of Torchwood, or the new Torchwood that the Master ran.

'Strange,' said Jo as they arrived, hiding in one of the alleyways facing the building.

'What?' Rose asked.

'There's usually more Cybermen standing guard. It's empty here.'

David was about to continue forward when Rose grabbed his arm. 'No,' she said. She had been in this situation far too many times, with Torchwood and the Doctor. Her own instinct was screaming to get out of there, that there was something wrong.

'This is a trap,' Rose announced.

'Rose, don't be ridiculous. The Cybermen could be just lax for one evening,' David argued.

'Cybermen are never lax are they? They're about perfection and being thorough,' Rose said, the gears in her mind clicking away. Where were the Cybermen? Were they waiting for them up on the roof, the team moving like lambs to slaughter? What were the Cybermen really looking for — to lull them into a false sense of security?

'The Tardis,' Rose whispered.

Without thought, with the impulsiveness that should have left her as a teenager, Rose got up from that alleyway and started running towards where she left the Tardis.

'Rose!' David shouted, as she started running. He started after her, and Jo struggled to catch up.

'I can stop him,' the Bad Wolf's voice whispered in Rose's ears. 'I can save the Tardis.'

Rose pushed every muscle to work harder, willed her legs to move faster. It did not matter if any of the Cybermen found her, she had to get to the Tardis. She could hear her heart beating loudly in her ears, the sound of the wind beating against her and her breath as she pounded the streets.

As she reached the Tardis, she could see Alex leaning by the side of the Tardis, having a fag. He grinned appreciatively when he saw her.

'To think, Rose Tyler, that I've walked a million times through this piazza and was not able to see, a huge box like this, just standing here.'

'What have you done?' Rose demanded, her voice rising. As the emotions in her grew more confused, fear mixing with fury, the singing began. Rose felt that she was starting to lose control of herself, the same feeling of going under that she felt what was only a few days ago at Torchwood HQ.

Rose could hear the sounds of Cybermen marching towards them. She had no idea how many of them, all she could think of was the Tardis.

Both David and Jo caught up to the two of them soon after. The regret and the betrayal flashed on David's face as he looked at Alex casually smoking the cigarette. 'Why?' he asked, his voice gritty.

'I am tired of sleeping on the ground. Tired of fighting a war that we cannot win. The Master wants Rose Tyler, I give her Rose Tyler,' he said with a shrug.

'I can make this all disappear,' the voice said louder. There was a song, a song in her mind. Rose brought her hands to her ears, she could not handle the sound of singing, Alex's voice, the marching of the Cybermen, the fury that she could feel from David, which she should not be feeling, the movement of the earth and every atom and —

David made the choice for her. Wordlessly, he pulled out his gun and shot Alex a few times, one of the times right through the heart. Alex crumpled to the ground.

It was enough to shake her out of whatever funk she was in. She couldn't find the words to describe the horror she felt at David's cold actions.

'You're either with us or against us, there's no two ways about it,' David said, impassively.

Rose heard it again, that laughter, in a voice that was hers and yet not quite hers.

'He could have told the Master what we were planning,' Jo whispered, horrified.

The sound of the Cybermen's mechanical footsteps drew nearer. They did not have much time. And then the still of the night was punctuated by a voice that Rose had hoped never having to hear again. A voice that cause the blood in her veins to chill instantly.

'Ro-ooose! Roooo-se Tyler,' he sing-songed.

The Master was here.

Both Jo and David paled and froze in their place. Rose saw it and it was a matter of time before he captured the three of them and the Tardis. Without thinking, she yanked the key from around her neck, pressed it into David's hand. 'Run,' she said.

It was enough to shake David out of his own stupor. 'I'm not leaving you, God knows what he'll do to you,' he said fiercely.

'Go. If he wants me that badly, he can't hurt me. Go. Without the key, he can't get into the Tardis,' Rose said.

'Rose…'

'You know how we're going to solve this, don't you? Then rescue me from the Master,' she said harshly. 'Now go! Get out!'

They could see the Cybermen, marching in rows towards the three of them. David and Jo cast one last look at her before running away again.

Rose stood in front of the Tardis as defiantly as she could make herself to be as the Cybermen made their way towards the Tardis. They stood in a line surrounding her on all sides, menacingly surrounding her.

'Halt, or you will be deleted!' said one of the Cybermen in front.

'I surrender,' Rose said, reminiscent of so many years ago. 'I surrender.'

'Although we don't want that to happen. No deletion necessary,' interrupted the Master loudly, his voice echoing on the walls. Through the spaces in between the Cybermen, Rose could see a man, walking up to them, his gait was jaunty as though taking a stroll in the park.

As he approached them, the Cybermen parted, akin to Moses parting the Red Sea.

'Ah, Rose Tyler,' the Master said with open arms. He was all in black, down to a black tie and a black coat. His face was still peasant, and to a certain extent, kind. 'Welcome home.'


	26. Chapter 25: A Fan of Rose

_A/N: As always, I'm grateful for all the comments that you've been leaving me! Thank you!_

_Summary: The Master invites Rose for an evening of dinner and dance._

**Chapter 25: A Fan of Rose**

When Rose was roughly bundled and thrown into her prison cell, blindfolded and cuffed, she had expected the worst: a grey, dank prison cell, filled with other prisoners and the dreaded open single toilet.

Of all the horrible, horrible things that had happened to her over the years, for some odd reason, it was always that single toilet in the prison cell that bothered her the most. The guards who were handling her were rough; they had pushed her to the ground before removing her handcuffs and her blindfold. Rose had barely opened her eyes when she heard the prison steel door slamming shut, the squeaking of metal against metal, the electronic beeping and the heavy slide of the key that locked her in.

When Rose did open her eyes, she could only just contain the shock that she felt when she saw the state of her 'prison'. It was far from a prison; it was a room she had not seen for years.

It was her room from the Tardis: her Doctor's Tardis from her universe that she originated from, from the queen-sized bed to the pink comforters and the stuffed toys that the Tardis bestowed upon her, in her own way of making her feel comfortable, and the posters of boybands that did not even exist in this universe.

For a terrible, terrible second, a feeling of dread washed over Rose that somehow the Master was able to crack through the walls of the universe and had taken the other Tardis in control. Rose crawled backwards to the edge of the door, paralyzed with fear. What would he do to her Doctor? It took her a few minutes to calm down, as she forced herself to take in the surroundings.

It just looked like her room in the Tardis: the room of a teenage girl, not quite a woman, with her girly fancies. What gave it away were the posters. The posters were off — they were not exactly the stuff she liked back then — the spellings were off, the members of the band different.

Someone had put in a considerable amount, a sick amount, of effort to do so — but for what reason? Rose tentatively got up from the corner she hid herself in as her heartbeat slowed down from its racing levels to investigate.

There were momentos of her travels, from her time in this parallel universe that she had left in her own bedroom that had been laid carefully, as though to make her as welcome as possible. Rose put the cowrie shell had she collected from the Caribbeans down and tried the curtains by the edge of her bed.

The Master was insane. He was off his rocker and for some reason, the thought that she could not reason with him terrified her more than anything else.

The lights of her room dimmed, signaling it was time to sleep.

Rose did not get up from the floor for a long time. She just could not bring herself to sleep on the bed — not when the rest of the world was suffering. She nodded off that night on the floor as she made plans to escape.

Lucy stayed in the Control Room — usually it was a good respite from when she was with the Master. It allowed her to gather her thoughts, calm the mind that she was sure she was losing. Lucy felt guilty she felt that way about the Master. She should always be happy to be around him.

But all lovers needed time apart, didn't they?

'Miss Cole, would you like for us to go through the dinner schedule again?' one of the assistants asked from her PC terminal.

Lucy had to hold her sigh back. One less person working on the Master's grand plans at conquering the universe. He was so easily distracted.

Lucy leaned over to the young man who worked on making the Master's dinner plans a success.

'As per the Master's orders, we've researched the menu from the restaurant that Rose ordered the picnic lunch last year — it's a bit difficult these days since well, the restaurant had been destroyed. But we did look through Torchwood and Vitex Industries accounts — blimey, I still can't get over they're the same companies, who would have thought? - '

The young man prattled on, but Lucy was not paying any more attention. The painstaking details put in for this dinner — it made her so mad. These were the days when she hated the Master. She hated, hated, hated him. Hated herself for loving him so deeply. Hated herself that when he spoke to her, when he held her, hugged her and touched her, she would do anything for him. But what on earth can she do, to get his attention? Oh she hated him so much when he obsessed over that tart, Rose Tyler.

But as she told herself over and over again, the Master must have a good motivation for doing what he did. She reminded herself of all the good things he had done for her, the job, he took care of her and her father compared to other people, and pushed away the hurt and pain inside her. He must have a reason for his obsession of Rose Tyler.

'Where is the Time Lord?' growled the Sycorax behind her.

As she thought earlier, once upon a time, the Control room was a respite from the Master, the times when she reluctantly admitted to herself that she needed time to be away from him.

It just was not as much fun anymore though when there were those ugly aliens standing behind her by the corner. Watching over Torchwood Control.

'He's busy,' Lucy snapped. She tried to sound commanding but her voice shook. She took a deep breath to calm herself down.

What luck does Sol 3 have to bear witness to all forms of invasions? From Cybermen to the Lethe to ten foot giant cockroaches and then the Master. No, Lucy corrected herself, the Master was their saviour.

She did not understand why he allowed the Sycorax to live when they made the misfortune of trying to invade Earth on Christmas Day. A pact of sorts, an alliance he said.

'We have stood here, waiting for war when all your Master is doing is obsessing over a woman!' The Sycorax looked cross. 'We warn you woman, we lack patience in these matters.'

Was the Master's indiscretion that obvious even to these gnarly aliens? He must have a reason over what he was doing.

'I'll talk to him,' Lucy muttered meekly.

She loved the Master. There must be a reason as to what he was doing.

***

The Master hummed a tune as he prepared himself for dinner that evening. He put on his cuff links, diamonds from the Britain's crown, when they used to have a monarchy. Silly but the Master couldn't help feeling vain now that he was stranded here on Earth. Such attention to looks.

Lucy stood next to him, Blackberry in one hand and a phone in the other. She was sorting the meetings for tomorrow. The Master was rather pleased with his Assistant. She had done everything for him, even this dinner which he thought must have been heartbreaking for her. It was not as if he didn't notice the stolen glances she gave him, the quiet sighs and the hope in her eyes.

Oh humans were very funny, with their feelings. Her love for him, the Master supposed, if he were human, was touching. But he found it so amusing that she was so hurt by the entire Rose experience that he could not resist flaunting it..

"Lucy, dear," he said, holding out two equally black ties. "Which one would suit me better? This one or the other one?"

She stared blankly at the ties at first and frowned. She looked unsure if she should take his request seriously.

"I don't know, the left one?" she said tentatively.

The Master shrugged and tossed out the left one. "They're exactly the same."

He went back to fixing his tie in the mirror and delighted himself in the crushing disappointment that appeared on Lucy's face. The disappointment stayed for a moment before disappearing and in its place, a mask of professionalism. That was his girl, Lucy.

"Master, is it necessary to have dinner with Rose?"

The Master stopped fixing his tie. "Oh?"

Lucy bit her bottom lip, as though trying to find words not to offend her Master. 'The Sycorax have been rather… antsy. They don't quite understand your fascination with her, sir." Even though she did not voice it aloud, the unspoken 'I' could be heard.

"Didn't you read her diary? She crossed the universe. She glows in the dark. She pilots alien spacecraft. I'm a fan."

The expression on Lucy's face was priceless.

"Is that why you've treated her so well, with a room of her own?" The Master could see, the instant the words escaped her mouth, Lucy regretted it. She had her hand to her mouth, clasped in horror.

He stopped fixing his tie. 'Lucy, could you help me with this tie.'

Lucy dropped her Blackberry from shock. She was flustered, the Master could sense the heightened heartbeat, could see the flushed cheeks. She bent over to pick up her fallen mobile unit, the Master admired her calves and the shape of her arse in that tight skirt of hers.

She straightened her jacket and walked towards the Master. Her fingers trembled as she fixed his tie.

"How is your father enjoying Cardiff?" the Master enquired.

Colour drained from Lucy's face."My father is well."

The Master grabbed her wrist as she put the finishing touches on his tie. Lucy was so small, petite. He held her wrist tighter, twisted it. Lucy gasped from the pain. She was so fragile, Lucy. He could just break her, right then and there.

"Would he fancy a visit to Pete Tyler? Catch up on old times."

He released her hand. Lucy doubled over, grabbing her wrist and holding it lightly. The Master could see the fear in her eyes as she massaged her wrist. There were going to be bruises on her wrist. Lucy did not reply as she blinked back tears from her eyes. She silently reached for his black jacket, strewn carelessly on the chair in his office to help him into the jacket.

The Master continued humming his song, only stopping to say, "There's a good girl, Lucy," when she helped him.

***

The young soldier, Kevin, stood outside Miss Tyler's room. He was the guard for the evening. Some of his mates laughed at him, saying he was a bit too skinny, that Rose Tyler, ex-Torchwood would easily kick his arse to escape.

He didn't believe a word they said. His sister used to be obsessed with Hello and OK! Magazine, back when they were around anyway, and he remembered Rose Tyler from them magazines. She didn't seem like them sort that could kick anybody's arse around.

Still, he couldn't help but feel a little nervous and held on to his gun a little tighter. Not that he wanted any harm to come on to her, no. Of course not. From the way the Master talked about her, Kevin heard, you would think he fancied her or something. He'd probably end up dead if something should happen to her.

There were other rumours about Rose Tyler, rumours that she was actually part alien. The whispers were that the Resistance looked up to her and she could destroy the Master.

But she was captured, so that should put an end to the rumour, shouldn't it?

The young soldier looked at his watch. It was time to knock on her door and escort her.

The door opened and Rose Tyler walked out. Her hair had grown out longer from her time incarcerated and she was dressed in a fine evening gown. She didn't come out meekly. She strode out confidently, with a gaze of steel. But she stopped to give the young soldier a sympathetic smile when she came out.

"Are you the one escorting me to our Lord and Master?"

The young soldier thought that it was no wonder the Master was taken in by her.

***

The young soldier who escorted her was nice enough. Pleasant. He was quiet mostly despite Rose's questions but he finally spoke to tell her that he was under orders to remain quiet. Rose looked at him with pity but said no more as he escorted her to where they were supposed to have dinner.

Rose was delighted as she was brought out. Her prison was a place she had spent countless of sleepless nights in. As they walked down the corridors, Rose recognized the building she was in. She was in Torchwood.

The young soldier brought her up to the highest floor, what used to be the board meeting rooms and Pete Tyler's office. Rose nearly fell over from shock when the elevator doors dinged open and she could see what the Master had done to her father's office. It was now a grand apartment with wooden flooring, expensive furnishings and fittings, heavy, velvet curtains framing the large windows that overlooked London.

The Master stood in the centre of the room, a warm, tender smile gracing his features. Rose's breath was caught somewhere in her chest. For a second, Rose thought it to be Harry standing in the centre. She banished the thought. Harry was dead.

"Welcome to my humble abode," the Master greeted her with relish.

"I see you've redecorated," Rose remarked.

"Do you like it?"

Rose felt her heart catch in her throat. She would have thought that she had mourned him enough by now but watching him speak, despite the outright cruelty he had displayed, Rose could not help but see traces of Harry in his movements, in his voice and in his glances.

"Do you always treat your prisoners this way?" Rose asked, changing the subject.

"No. Think Pete Tyler is stuffed in a hole somewhere," the Master said airily.

Rose stiffened at his callous words. She allowed the words to slide over, brushing aside the anger that rose within. "Then why me? Why this dinner and dancing?"

"I read your diary. I'm a fan."

Rose raised her eyebrows a little but was not too surprised by the revelation. She was a child of twenty, having lost the love of her life and her home. For the next one year post Norway, she poured every memory into her diary. She should have known better that the diary would one day become a liability.

"Didn't anyone teach you not to go through people's private stuff?"

The Master grinned broadly. "Rogue Time Lord."

"I kinda guessed, what with the world domination and all."

"Not just the world, the universe. Time and space once I get a hold of the Tardis."

Rose shrugged. "It's too bad I lost the Tardis key, then."

The sparkle in the Master's eyes dulled slightly. He reached over and touched her hair before gently caressing her face. Rose held her breath, her body tense and ready to strike him should he try anything well, that he'd might regret trying with her.

"Such a shame," he remarked softly. "Colouring your hair this way." He took his hands away. "Champagne?" he asked, walking over the long table that was prepared for two.

The unexpected gentleness for the Master gave Rose the courage she needed.

"The Chameleon Arch," Rose stated flatly.

Whatever tenderness the Master had disappeared. In its place was a cold glee that Rose was becoming accustomed to associating with the Master. He folded his arms and appeared, disinterested.

"Yes?"

Rose had to know. "I was told that when you use the Chameleon Arch, the Tardis creates a story for you. Harry Saxon was just a story the Tardis made up."

The Master rolled his eyes. "So he is."

"But it's not just any story, yeah?" Rose said. "It's created from parts of your personalities. It's a human you."

"I don't see your point, Miss Tyler," the Master said. He poured himself a glass of champagne for himself and downed it. How rude, not waiting for her.

"If it is, then Harry Saxon is a part of you. Inside you there's Harry Saxon somewhere."

There was a crash. Rose shook as the Master flung one of the champagne glasses to the wall. How far can she push him? She felt her heartbeat rise but she refused to let any of the fear she felt show.

But the Master then calmed down somewhat, his features were dangerous. When he spoke again, his tone was mocking: 'I breathe, I am alive and yet I do not live. This is not my world, my world, my life, my universe disappeared. My life has ended.'

Rose felt her breath catch in her throat. She remembered penning those words on one of the many terrible nights after she knew she would never see the Doctor again. Even hearing the words aloud, despite it being the Master's attempt at mocking her, made it hurt all over again.

Time did not heal wounds.

'Really now, Rose?' the Master asked. 'The Doctor was your universe. You are one of the many countless of companions that I've met across my own time. If your Doctor is anything like the Doctor that I know of, he would have replaced you.'

He paused. 'Humans. If anyone did not understand your strange nature, your need to attach such gravity to just a single being and thereby calling it your entire 'world', one could almost call it petty. And stupid. But I suppose you would be the only one here who would understand that loss and emptiness of what I feel knowing that Gallifrey is gone. Superficially of course, in your diminished and unevolved intelligence.'

Rose had to hold back, the retort that she had at the tip of her tongue. Oh, he reminded her of the Doctor, his nattering about emotions and feelings when sometimes, Rose thought he just didn't have a clue. Despite the deep emotion that Rose used to see, brimming in his brown eyes, there were moments, callous moments, where Rose thought the Doctor was just unable to feel.

Rose could see his intelligent eyes, trying hard to appear as disinterested as possible. But Rose knew, just as she knew the Doctor, when was she able to read Time Lords so well, he was reaching out to her — that mad desire to connect after losing everything. She naively thought she could fill in this gap.

The Doctor never pretended he did not have emotions, yet on occasion, despite loving and caring so deeply, he struck her as one bereft of feelings. The Master was like the Doctor yet different. They were almost diametrical in their personalities. The Master pretended not to feel, yet Rose could see that raw helplessness and emotion.

She could read Time Lords so well.

"There's a Harry Saxon inside of you somewhere. It was Harry Saxon that saved the world, I'm sure of it. That time with the Lethe. Somewhere in the Master... with all his kindness and goodness.'

"You mean all his weaknesses,' he mused.

"There's a reason why you're the last of the Time Lords. You don't have to do this anymore."

The Master strode to her, his eyes cold. He radiated violence and anger. "And I'm doing precisely what the universe intended me to do." He grabbed Rose by the hand and pulled her to the expansive window and with his free hand, flung open the curtains.

What Rose saw broke her heart. London's skies were red as fires raged. Mega-structures were built. Zeppelins sped over the city. Rose could only guess what these structures were. Factories of war that David spoke about quietly. London suffered.

"If the universe intended a Time Lord to travel and heal the world," he said spitefully, "- they would have spared the Doctor. Instead I am the last of the Time Lords," he said, a manic grin spreading across his handsome features. One hand was on the window pane as he tapped a beat.

"The sound of drums, they call me to war,' he whipered. 'This is precisely what the universe has intended. A new order. A New Gallifrey. One ruled by the Time Lords. You apes keep on living when an ancient and mighty race is reduced to dust. I will resurrect Gallifrey."

He turned Rose around and pushed her against the windows. His move was so sudden that she hit the back of her head against the glass hard. Rose winced in pain, tears rushing to her eyes. She blinked back the tears furiously and struggled to get her words out.

'You are wrong, this is my world now. And I'll do anything to protect this world.'

"I preferred you when you were annihilating Daleks. Didn't you just destroy? None of this sanctimoniousness," he said, leering down to Rose, his face so close to hers that she could feel his breath on her face.

"I will stop you," she whispered defiantly. She looked into his eyes, she was terrified, the fear clambering at her throat. If he was half as smart as the Doctor, there was no way she could stop him.

As if on cue, the alarms for red alert blared. There was a knock on the door, a few sharp raps. The Master pounded on the glass pane, furious, before marching to the door to answer it.

Rose felt the hope rise within her again. No. She was Rose Tyler, Defender of the Earth. She was not going to let a rogue Time Lord stop her. It was time for her to find a way to escape.


	27. Chapter 26: Run

_A/N: Thanks always :)_

_Summary: When in doubt, run.  
_

**Chapter 26: Run**

The Master opened the door irritably. The messenger on the other side of the door grimaced, biting his tongue hard to hide his fear. He prayed fervently that the Master was not the sort to kill the messenger.

"What?" the Master barked darkly.

"One of our prisoners broke out of prison, sir," stuttered the messenger. "It's a Mickey Smith." The messenger took a deep breath and said the rest of the sentence in a rush. "Miss Cole believes the resistance must have broken in and taken him."

The Master raised his eyebrows and his eyes narrowed dangerously. The messenger wished he had not been the one who pulled the short straw to inform the Master the bad news.

"Fine,' he said flippantly. 'Escort Miss Tyler back to her room. I'll deal with this thing myself."

The Master stepped aside to allow the young man in. The soldier looked around the vast room to find it empty. There was an air vent by the lower part of the ceilings that had been pushed open. It seems that the Master's guest had escaped.

There were rumours that the Master was alien, that he was not really just a megolomanical human being. That he had a weapon, a miniaturized laser that could kill people in an instant.

The Master stood outside, presumably waiting to say a few words to Miss Tyler right before he did whatever he needed to do. The young soldier swallowed but his mouth was dry. The soldier prayed that the Master would be merciful as he walked out the room to inform the Master that his other prisoner had disappeared.

***

Rose knew it was her chance the moment the Master had his back turned. This was Torchwood. She knew this building at the back of her hand. As quietly as she could, she hopped onto his desk - thank goodness for sensible shoes - and pulled down the air vents by the side. With deftness only a trained Torchwood operative would have, she hoisted herself up onto the air vents.

Rose, as quietly as possible, crawled into the air vents. She had to get out of these air vents and what happens next, oh, she'd have to make it up as she went along.

She knew what those alarms meant. It blared only when a prisoner escaped — and Rose shivered slightly recalling the first time it happened. Pushing the memory back, she crawled through the vents, wondering who could have escaped. Her money was on the team rescuing Mickey, as she had pleaded David to. So. Game plan based on assumptions that could not be verified, that it was Mickey that escaped. So she needed to find the team rescuing Mickey. And then the Tardis. Find the Tardis, get it out of here so that they could broadcast a code that would bring down Archangel. Easy.

She had pulled through before in equally tight positions by the skin of herr teeth. If she managed before, surely she could manage again.

After crawling in the dark, Rose came across one of the corridors in Torchwood where she was sure had enough hiding places. She listened to the red alert and the announcements made. Soldiers ran across the corridors. She had to get out of the air vents and head down to where they kept all the prisoners in Torchwood.

Rose got out of the air vents carefully, considering she was wearing a dress. Saving the world in a dinner dress. Another one of those outfits that she should not be wearing whilst saving the world. If she were to get out of this alive, she ought to write a book on clothes not to wear whilst saving the universe.

***

Lucy could feel the agitation almost bouncing off the walls when the Master entered Torchwood Control. The men and women working at their workstations had their heads bowed low, working and typing furiously at their workstations. They were under strict orders to find Rose Tyler and Mickey Smith and by God, she knew that if they didn't find either, someone in Torchwood would pay.

Lucy stood next to the few Sycorax standing in the room. The Sycorax were agitated, often barking in their rough language to each other. Lucy did not need to understand Sycoraxic to know that they were, to put it mildly, displeased with the situation. They had waited for over two hours to meet the Master and with the delicate situation of missing prisoners, it was unlikely the Master would hear their demands.

The Sycorax leader growled in Sycoraxic when the Master entered the room. The Master continued on to the centre of the room, ignoring the Sycorax.

"Update me, people! Where's Rose Tyler?"

Another blow for Lucy. Rose Tyler. Of course. Mickey Smith, key figure in the Resistance's efforts was irrelevant to Rose Tyler, who had just appeared five days ago.

Shouts went around the room, updating the Master over the current status.

The Master listened thoughtfully. "Well then," he said. "Let's find her." As if it was an afterthought, he added, "Oh, and that friend of hers."

There was a flurry of papers and activity but Torchwood Control was devoid of conversation as operatives scoured through their CCTV, sent soldiers and agents to find their missing prisoners. The Master bounded towards Lucy. He was literally bouncing with energy, his handsome face animated with excitement. It twisted the strings in her heart and Lucy wished not for the first time, although she dared not admit it aloud, that she was not in love with him.

"Rose skipped out on dinner on me," he lamented.

Before Lucy could reply, the Sycorax leader interrupted with his harsh language.

The Master ignored the Sycorax. Lucy felt duty-bound to pacify the Sycorax when the Master finally spoke. 'General,' Lucy began but the Master interrupted her. "I understand every single word you're saying, Sycorax, but I'd prefer not to sully my tongue with your language."

The Sycorax leader was incensed but switched to English. "We have pledged allegiance to your war. And yet you display a greater concern for this human woman."

"Ho ho!" the Master chortled. "Not any ordinary human woman!" Lucy had to look away.

"The woman will be your downfall," the Sycorax warned.

The Master paused. Lucy watched his face darken, the eerie cheer disappear. "As your inability to watch your tongue, Sycorax."

The room went deathly silent. Everyone's eyes remained on their workstations, but each person in the room half-expected the Sycorax to drop dead from challenging the Master. The tension in the room was palpable. But finally, the Sycorax relented.

"We are honour-bound to obey you, Time Lord," he growled.

The Master did not reply. Instead he leaned over to Lucy. "Find Miss Tyler," he said dismissively. He turned around to leave the room before stopping suddenly. He turned, and the smile on his face could only be described as cruel.

'Lucy, I changed my mind. Why look for Miss Tyler, when you could just as easily drag her out?' he said. 'Bring me Pete Tyler. I'll be in my office.'

Lucy bit her bottom lip at his request. She had seen him furious on occasions, just never this furious. She dreaded to see what he would do to Pete Tyler. But it was not her place to comment. Lucy made her face into a mask, heading out of Torchwood Control and down to the dungeons.

Lucy was only following orders.

***

Rose thought she was being careful, looking out the door right before she went out. What she did not realize was there were soldiers at the end of the corridor who saw her as she left the room.

'Stop!'

Like that was going to stop her. Rose saw the fire exit, burst through the doors and ran down, going through floor after floor.

As she ran down, she could hear shouts and the heavy boots from below her pounding the steps as they ran up. Great. Not only were they chasing her down the stairs and another group of Torchwood Operatives were chasing her from up the stairways. Fan-bloody-tastic.

Rose looked at the numbers on each floor as she ran down the stairs, skipping a few steps at a time, praying she wouldn't fall. Floor 48. God, what was on floor 48? 47, 46. Her lungs were aching for air and her legs felt like lead but she pressed on.

"Rose Tyler, put your hands up in the air!"

44, 43, 42. Floor 42, why was that familiar? Of course! Training facilities. They never had cameras in there. It was too harmless and unimportant a facility for cameras. Budget cuts.

Rose pushed open the door and ran through the corridors. She entered the first room on her right, a sterile room of computer monitors, tables and chairs. It was an exam room. She clambered onto the table and tiptoed to reach the air vent on the ceiling. With a strong push, she pushed the air vent aside.

Rose hoisted herself up and hastily replaced the grill on the air vents. She lay down silently as she heard Torchwood operatives rushing onto the 42nd floor to find her. The door of the room burst open and men with guns entered.

"All clear," said one of the men before leaving.

Rose waited until they left and the halls quietened down with only the blare of the alarms left. Rose slid out of the air vents into the room. Rose was about to slip out of the room when she stopped herself.

She was impulsive. She often thought with her heart first and with her mind second. But at her age, after all her experience as Torchwood, she had to stop running into things. She was not a genius like the Doctor. She needed to plan the way Rose Tyler could.

"Now, if I were Mickey Smith and I've been told to bring down the Archangel network, what would I do?"

She smiled. Of course. She was in a room full of computers. Presumably it was David who was going to rescue her and presumably, David would have told Mickey about the Tardis. That would be the first thing they would do wouldn't they? Find out where the Tardis was.

Alright. Rose sat in front of the computer and switched it on. The only way to know where the Tardis was, was to access the Torchwood mainframe. She may not be Mickey but there were perks about being his ex-girlfriend.

Rose sat down to work, watching the door. With no time to waste, she switched on the PC and logged on. Rose wondered how long it would be before they found her.

***  
Arpita was in charge of scanning the Torchwood mainframe for any intruders. Knowing how savvy Mickey was with computers, the chances of discovering him was minimal and close to zero.

That was why when she discovered an unexpected person logging onto the system, she was curious. She zoomed in, to find a clumsy attempt at hacking. Rose Tyler.

She remembered the times where Rose and her used to sneak out to lunch together. She rarely clicked with the rest of her colleagues and Rose had seemed so aloof, being the Director's daughter and all. But they were friends and she wondered if post-the Master, they could go back to having lunch together.

Reality kicked in. Stupid, stupid thoughts. Her family was languishing in prison and if she did not report that she found Rose, God knows what they'd do to her family. Arpita felt the familiar twinge of guilt. She felt too much of a coward for not running away from Torchwood and joining the Resistance.

Well, then. She may not be able to run, but the best she could do is hide Rose for as long as she could. With skill, she hid Rose's entry into the system. Arpita stole a quick glance at the Master. The Master was back in Torchwood Control after a break. Rumours were that he watched Teletubbies to relax. One of the agents swore that there were stacks of DVDs in his office.

Whatever. She had to help Rose. Quickly, she guided Rose to what she was looking for, trying to maintain a calm appearance.

A few alerts went off on the computers by her side. A few of her colleagues came over to the computers. They were aware of the intruders.

"Arpita, have you seen this?"

Arpita hid Rose, deep within the system. She knew it would take her colleagues only two minutes to find her. God speed, Rose, she prayed an old prayer.

***

.Rose found the way to the Tardis. That was a lot easier than she expected. She was about to log off the PC when she found it frozen. They'd found her.

Without a moment's hesitation, Rose got up and started running. She had to find her way to the Tardis and hopefully, Mickey and gang would be there.

The moment Rose stepped out of the training room, she could hear heavy footsteps running down the corridor. Rose hurried as fast as she could down the staircase and headed towards the floor where the Tardis was kept.

Down, down the stairs she ran. Floor 34, floor 33, floor 32. Only a few more floors. Floor 29, 28. The soldiers shouted at her as she ran down the staircase. "Stop!" "Stop or we'll shoot!" But the commands bounced off the walls into a gurgle of incoherence. All Rose could really hear was the pounding of her heart in her ears.

Floor 24. Rose burst through the doors towards the room holding the Tardis.

"Oi there!"

The voice was music to her ears. From a distance she could see Mickey, a little thinner, dressed in a scruffy prisoner's uniform, but her Mickey. He ran and following closely behind Mickey was David.

A grin broke out on Rose's face. She ran to Mickey and hugged him tightly.

"Should have figured all this fuss would be for you," Mickey said gruffly into her neck. Rose blinked back the tears that formed.

"Me? Fuss?" Rose asked, her voice thick with emotion. 'Think this one is yours!' David cleared his throat. "Err, guys? Hate to interrupt, but could we do this reunion a little later? They're still after us!"

Rose and Mickey let each other go but Rose had the widest grin on her face. "Come on!"

The three of them rushed down the corridor as the soldiers chased the from behind. Mickey wielded a sonic screwdriver-

"Where did you get that?" Rose shouted as they ran.

"Courtesy of Martha!" David supplied helpfully.

"In here!" Mickey shouted as they found the right door to the Tardis. With the buzz of the sonic screwdriver, the heavy electronic doors clicked open and allowed them through. It was as though the day couldn't get any better. The Tardis stood in the centre of the room on its own, majestic and welcoming.

The doors behind them closed. Rose grabbed the sonic screwdriver off from Mickey. "Hey!" he protested, to which Rose mumbled a rushed, "Sorry, habit," and changed the switch to lock and locked the doors.

They could hear banging on the door as the soldiers attempted to get in, but it was futile.

"Did you dead-lock seal the door?" Mickey asked.

Rose shook her head. "Shorted the electronics. But it would be a matter of time before they get in."

David whistled, not paying much attention to the conversation between Mickey and Rose. Instead, his eyes were on the Tardis and he seemed unimpressed with the blue box in front of him.

"So this is the Tardis?" he said. He gave her a look of disbelief. "I'm surprised there's not a million guards protecting this if it's as powerful as you said it is."

"Well," Rose said as she walked to the Tardis, putting one hand on the blue panels. She felt the Tardis awaken, in a way welcoming her home. "Without the key, it's useless. Not even the Master can get in. Not even the hordes of Genghis Khan could."

David nodded. He pulled out the key from around his neck and held it out to Rose.

Mickey touched the panels of the Tardis gingerly. "I don't know, Rose. The last time we were in this thing, you became all glowing and stuff. And then you disappeared for three months."

Rose noticed the growing reluctance in David. She snatched the Tardis key off his hands before the doubt grew.

"I didn't disappear," Rose said as normally as she could. "It's only been a few weeks for me, Mickey."

A very familiar look of disappointment crossed Mickey's face. Rose winced.

"So while we've been going through all this hell, you've just fast-forwarded on us," Mickey said quietly.

"I didn't do it intentionally! When I woke up, I was in Coventry and it'd been three months!"

Mickey raised his eyebrows. "Coventry? Wouldn't it be Cardiff if the Tardis needs to refuel?"

"It's Coventry in this universe apparently."

Parts of the door splintered open. David jumped. "Can we talk later? They're breaking through!" he shouted.

This time, without hesitation, Rose slipped the key through the Tardis and opened the door. David and Mickey rushed in behind her and Rose bolted the Tardis door closed.

"Right, David, all we have to do is get your laptop set up, Mickey, you can connect it to the Tardis and send out a telepathic field to bring down the Archangel network."

"It's bigger on the inside," David muttered, dumbfounded. He stood at the entrance, open-mouthed at the grandiosity of the Tardis. Rose could not help feeling a slight tinge of irritation despite knowing that it was most probably David's first time in an alien spaceship, much less the Tardis.

"Now's not the time, David," Rose said levelly, careful to keep the irritation out of her voice.

Mickey nudged David to the console and started to help him unpack the laptop. The handling of equipment brought out the professional in David again and he started to set up the equipment. Mickey stood by his side and only occasionally interruptedwhen David looked overwhelmed with the alien technology. Rose watched Mickey lean on the Tardis console. He was tired. Rose wondered if he was treated alright in prison but she dared not ask. She sat herself down on the captain's chair.

"Do alien machines connect itself to USB ports?" David asked, making light of the situation.

Rose couldn't bring herself to laugh. She smiled, acknowledging the joke.

A few minutes into setting it up, Mickey stopped. He made his way to her. Rose noticed he had a slight limp.

"You're all dressed up to save the world," Mickey said, gesturing her dress. Rose laughed. Not at the joke. Mostly, she laughed out of relief that Mickey was alive.

"Gotta look good for the part. Saving the world and all."

Mickey smiled but it faded quickly. "I thought you died," Mickey said flatly. "When the Tardis disappeared, it was like the time when you went off to save the Doctor. Except there's no Doctor this time."

Rose wondered how she ought to answer him. "Came back, didn't I?"

Mickey gave her that look, the same look he gave her when she recklessly jumped into situations. Rose winced again, aware that she was about to receive a lecture from Mickey for being careless but was saved by David.

"Alright!" cheered David. Mickey and Rose turned their attention to David. David turned the laptop towards Mickey and Rose. "I have here a laptop connected to a mobile, which is connected to the Archangel Network. The laptop is connected, well, in one way or another to this ship."

"Great job, David," said Rose. And to Mickey, she said "Do your magic, Mickey."

"It's an alien machine, Rose. The last time I worked on the Tardis, I yanked it open with a yellow truck."

"You traveled with the Doctor. You spent time talking to him and helping him with the console."

Mickey pursed his lips in a thin line, deep in thought. "You are completely reckless, Rose, for depending on me," Mickey admonished. "But hey, leave it to Mickey. I'll figure a way to broadcast a telepathic field."

Rose smiled. "The Tardis is telepathic, remember. Let her guide you."

***

The Torchwood soldiers dragged a painfully thin Pete Tyler to the Control Room. Pete struggled fruitlessly against the iron grip of the soldiers around him arms but to no avail. The Master considered telling him that it was pointless to fight back, his hands and legs were bound and any attempt to escape would be greeted with the butt of the rifle.

'Pete Tyler,' the Master greeted, as cordially as possible in said circumstance. He had to say, though, he thought he did a rather good job.

'Saxon,' Pete Tyler spat back out. But his voice was weak from time spent in incarceration.

The Master signaled for the soldiers to let him go. The soldiers dropped Pete Tyler unceremoniously on the floor. The Master edged closer to Pete before giving the weakened man a swift kick to his stomach. Pete doubled over in pain. The Master knelt down next to the writhing man.

'That's not my name. Say my name,' he whispered to Pete Tyler.

Pete gave him the strongest glare he could muster before coughing out, 'Master'.

'Much better,' the Master said, before petting Pete on the head. He stood up, brushing his hands off, standing at the centre of Torchwood Control. He stood there, hands apart, like an elder statesmen ready to impart some great knowledge to his audience when in reality, he was only addressing Pete.

'Now, Pete. Tell me. Does your daughter, and I say this loosely, because we all know she isn't really, find you important enough to be rescued?'

"What was that?" David asked suddenly.

If or when things went back to normal, she was going to pull David aside to lecture him on 'This is Torchwood, this is alien. Deal with it. Or at least pretend you're not surprised' "The Tardis is telepathic, David," Rose said slowly. "It's not just a ship. It's a sentient being"

David looked at Rose, his face was pale and even with the distance between them, Rose could see he was shaking. "David, what's wrong?" Rose asked, any trace of annoyance disappearing.

David shook his head and gave his attentions to the laptop. "Nothing, nothing," David rambled on under his breath. "Thought I saw something. Must be tired with all this running."

Mickey was not going to let up. "What?" Mickey demanded.

David stopped working at the pc. "I thought I saw Rose by the door. Just all," David said. "Except, well, she glowed. I must be tired."

Mickey glanced at the door. "I don't see anything."

Rose looked up and froze. At the door was her. Just as David described. Glowy. She smiled at Rose, it was not a friendly smile.

"Rose?" Mickey asked tentatively.

Rose felt her heart plummet. The Bad Wolf tilted her head and held her hand out. It was an offer, the same offer from her dreams. To end this pointless war brought on by the Master. Rose bit her bottom lip. She couldn't and she shouldn't. The Bad Wolf laughed. It was soundless but it chilled Rose nonetheless.

"Rose?" Mickey all but shouted this time. That seemed to shake Rose out of her stupor.

She looked at Mickey and remembered the time where she sat in the bench by the concrete park of the Powell Estates, racking her brains on how she could get back to the Doctor. She had been so happy then when she realized the Bad Wolf was her ticket back.

But she was no fool. As much as the Bad Wolf had helped the Doctor, the Bad Wolf had caused destruction and devastation that Rose cared not to repeat again.

"Mickey, I — " Rose was unable to complete the sentence. She pulled out the sonic screwdriver.

"Mickey, when I was in a station, when I first met the Daleks, the Doctor tricked me back into the Tardis. He used the sonic screwdriver like a remote control for the Tardis."

Mickey frowned. "Rose, what are you trying to say?"

"I asked him later which setting. He said setting 42F. If there was any problems, go to setting 42F and the Tardis will take me home, somewhere safe. The Emergency Programme One protocol"

Rose flicked the settings of the sonic screwdriver to 42F. "He may not be my Doctor," Rose said softly. "But he is the Doctor. It's probably still the same." She pressed the sonic screwdriver into his hands.

Mickey's eyes widened as he processed what she was suggesting. Mickey was smart, far more intelligent than anyone had given him credit.

"No, Rose. I won't let you do this," he said fiercely, pushing back the sonic screwdriver into her hand. "I will figure a way to broadcast the signal and we will escape together."

Rose shook her head. "I saw what David saw." Rose had to suppress a smile at David's look of relief. He was probably berating himself, thinking he was going crazy. "I saw the Bad Wolf. I have to find out what's wrong."

She was about to leave when Mickey held onto her wrist tightly, as though willing her to stay.

"Let me make my own decisions, Mickey."

He let her wrist go. David had glanced aside. She kissed Mickey on her cheek; it was a kiss goodbye. She nodded her goodbye to David and took a deep breath before walking out the doors of the Tardis.


	28. Chapter 27: The Master and the Wolf

_Summary: The Master and Rose face off each other. With the fate of the world precariously in a balance, it is imperative that Rose is able to stop the Master - but can she do it?_

**Chapter 27: The Master and the Wolf  
**

Rose took a deep breath as she took a step outside the Tardis. She could feel her heart beat faster when Mickey bolted the lock on the Tardis door. Rose was sure this was the right thing to do, but it did not stop it from being so bloody frightening.

There was so much noise outside the doors of the small room where the Tardis was kept, the sounds of drilling and metal against metal as the soldiers tried to get into the Tardis, each bang an ominous step towards the Master. She closed her eyes and took a couple of deep breaths, trying to calm herself down.

She was not afraid of the Master. She was not afraid of the Master. When she opened her eyes, she nearly jumped out of her skin, for who should be leaning by the door: none other than the Bad Wolf. She seemed oblivious to the racket outside, unaffected by the vibrations and knocking against the door.

The Bad Wolf stared at Rose. Or at least she thought she was staring at her; she could not quite tell. The last time she saw the Bad Wolf, she, if she could even be called a she, had golden irises. But now even the whites of her eyes were golden.

'The man you call your father,' the Bad Wolf spoke. 'The Master has taken him.'

When the Bad Wolf spoke, her voice had a chilling quality, reverberating across the room making the objects in the room tremble despite it not being loud.

'He's always had my father captive,' Rose retorted back, her voice trembling.

'Using your father as bait,' the Bad Wolf continued dreamily. 'But I can help you, Rose Tyler. We can stop the Master. We can stop all of them. Return Earth back to order. You can have Harold Saxon back.'

The door that stood between Rose and the soldiers was beginning to splinter open. There was a loud pounding from the outside as the men tried to break the door down. Rose stared at the Bad Wolf; it reminded Rose vaguely of the time she looked into the heart of the Tardis.

'How is any of this possible? How can you possibly exist?' Rose asked. 'The Doctor removed all traces of the Time Vortex from me.'

The Bad Wolf laughed. "You don't need all of the Time Vortex to create me, child." With a mischievous grin reminiscent of the Doctor, she continued, "I am you."

Rose stiffened, and memories of a space station from long ago rose unbidden to her mind. The door broke open and a stream of soldiers burst forth. Rose put her hands up in the air as the soldiers shouted for her to put any weapon down. Rose was not listening, though. She barely noticed the soldiers — only the Bad Wolf, who had her head tilted to the side with a soundless laugh.

***

The alarms continued to blare as Rose was led to Torchwood, handcuffed. The soldiers dragged her; the steps they took were wide and hasty, as though they wanted to bring back to the Master his most prized possession.

The doors to Torchwood control opened, the doors flung wide open to the side as they led her in. Inside, a spectacle of sorts awaited her. The PCs that the Torchwood staff were manning were empty, almost all of them standing by the wall of Torchwood Control. The men and women had their eyes cast to the ground, refusing to watch what was about to unfold.

At the centre of the room, the Master stood over Pete Tyler like a ringmaster taming a tiger. In this case, the wounded tiger: Pete was on the floor with ragged breathing that could be heard even as Rose entered Torchwood Control. The Sycorax stood behind the Master, displeased with this act of showmanship, but did nothing to voice their displeasure. The Master smiled widely when Rose walked in.

'Rose, welcome back,' he purred. 'It was so rude of you to just leave.' He signaled for the Torchwood soldiers to remove Rose's handcuffs.

Rose had seen many things in her young life. So many wondrous things, so many greatly unhappy things. She had seen the love of her life, tormented and tortured, she knew that in her line of work, it was almost to be expected that her family would become a target.

Pete Tyler was a trained Torchwood operative. He had his own battle scars to show in the war against the Cybermen and the various aliens invasions. But he was family. It would never get easier.

She stood there for a second, momentarily stunned as she took in her father's bloodied features. From the newly formed bruise around his eye, to the blood trickling by the side of his face - a spark of rage grew within

The room echoed with peals of laughter, light as a bell, madder than a hatter, laughter that only Rose could hear.

'Dad…,' she said, her voice broken. She stepped forward to her father, but the soldiers held her back. Rose looked at Harry - no, the Master, and he bared his teeth in a twisted grin. She glared at him but even from the distance, his gaze was strangely hypnotic. Between the Master's gaze and the Bad Wolf, she gritted her teeth, pinched herself slightly to remain focus. The temptation to give in to the rage that was Bad Wolf was strong. 'Why?'

The Master shrugged. 'You've been a very naughty girl, Rose.'

'I'm here now,' she said quietly. 'Let Dad go, please.'

'Rose, you shouldn't have run away,' he chastised. 'Dinner is all cold,' he continued in mock hurt.

'I can stop him,' the Bad Wolf whispered in her ear.

There must be a reason why he survived. Rose thought bitterly. She thought of the Doctor, her first Doctor, the man with the Northern accent, and felt a strange pity for this crazy creature, all alone in this universe.

'You don't have to do this,' Rose said quietly. 'There is always another way.'

'If there was another way, the universe would have spared the Doctor,' the Master repeated. 'But he died. I lived. And as the last of the Time Lords, I get to dictate how the universe should look like.'

The room was silent as he waited for her reply. It was in these moments of quiet, when the Master was not bouncing about stark raving mad, that Rose thought she saw the Harry deep inside. It went against all sense of logic, all rationality, that she could still hope despite what the Master had done.

'It doesn't have to be a universe of war and destruction. There's always other ways of living. Of surviving.' Rose said, struggling to get the words out, to put the words together. How do you reason with a mad man? 'We survived in this universe for a reason. We can be different. Things can change.'

The Master pulled out the laser screwdriver from his pocket and pointed it in Pete Tyler's direction. 'Funny, trying to talk to a Time Lord about the future. Let me assure you Rose Tyler, that the universe and time ends the same way it has since its creation. Everyone, everybody dies.'

Rose felt her heart fall, settling somewhere in between her stomach. She began to tremble, she did not mean to put her father in further danger. Stupid, stupid girl. Stupid.

_Give in, Rose. Give in._

Rose thought he was going to push the button and it would all end right now, right at this point.

But he did not. The Master still stood there, laser screwdriver at Pete Tyler's head and yet nothing.

He hesitated.

It was the hesitation that cost him in the end. The Sycorax who had been impatient on the side, as the Master spoke and made his grand gesture, turned against him. With an agility that was unexpected from the lumbering mass that was the Sycorax, the leader of the Sycorax pulled from his side a whip and snapped it. There was a burst of electricity.

'No!' Lucy screamed.

The Master collapsed on the ground. Rose's breath caught in her throat, and she could not breathe — wondering if the impossible had happened. Was the Master dead?

'No!' Lucy screamed again. She left the side of the wall where she cowered earlier, to go to the Master's side. She sobbed like a grieving widow by the Master's side. His death was so sudden, so soon that Rose could not believe that it was over — just like that. There was a pang in her heart, one that she did not want to think about, combined with relief and confusion.

He was not a skeleton, so he could not be dead. Unconscious maybe? Or maybe dead beyond regeneration? Were Time Lords that easy to kill?

It was perhaps the most unexpected turn of events, a most unexpected and almost disappointing ending to the great, insane Time Lord that had conquered the planet. The last of the Time Lords and all gone in a flash.

There was for a second that awful silence as everyone in the entire room held their breath, not knowing what to do next. The Sycorax leader who had done the unthinkable stared at his whip for a second, his expression one of confusion before he roared a cry of victory. His fellow Sycorax roared back their approval — they were now the ones in control.

The Sycorax soldiers went to their respective positions, yanking Lucy away from the Master. The Torchwood soldiers looked shocked, unsure who to follow this time. Some of the soldiers backed away from her, leaving the Sycorax to drag her towards the their leader.

The Sycorax smelled of rotten meat, Rose struggled not to gag as he breathed down on her.

"The Rose Tyler, the one the Master was so keen on finding." The Sycorax spat the Master's name out. "I said that it would be his downfall." He laughed. As if on cue, the rest of the Sycorax in the room burst into laughter.

One of the Sycorax pushed Rose forward to Lucy. Rose tumbled forward and unable to maintain her balance, she crashed into Lucy and they fell onto the floor in a heap. The laughter around them grew louder.

"Sorry," Rose mumbled.

Lucy blinked several times, her eyes shining. Rose realized she was trying to stop herself from crying. 'He's gone,' she whispered.

Rose watched the still body of the Master. Could some sort of Time Lord biology render the Sycorax's weapon impotent? Was he unconscious? Or had he died beyond regeneration?

'I'm sorry,' Rose said numbly.

"Silence!" the Sycorax leader shouted. He strode up to Rose and pulled out a long spear and held it to the Rose's neck. Rose did not flinch.

"In the presence of your new master, I demand silence."

Lucy grabbed Rose's hand out of fear. Rose squeezed it back.

Rose took a deep breath. "I demand parlay along the lines of the Shadow Proclamation," she spoke, proud that her voice did not waver.

The Sycorax leader leaned in, sniffing her. Rose tried her best not to gag.

"Human. Yet you speak of the Shadow proclamation." He walked away, theatrical and extravagant. He stood in the centre again. "The Shadow Proclamation doesn't apply to inferior life forms of Sol 3."

Why did it always work with the Doctor and never with her? Rose swore that if she ever had a chance to travel the universe again, she would find the bloody parliament that came up with the Shadow Proclamation and read the bloody thing, end to end. And add in Sol 3 to the Shadow Proclamation.

Rose tried a different approach. "And yet your kind would fight for a planet for using a duel? How… how archaic is that?"

The Sycorax was easily riled. "It is our heritage!" he roared in protest. "An ancient heritage in a civilization greater than yours."

"Yeah? If so, then why are you going about stealing? Stealing planets."

"The Sycorax do not steal!"

"You're doing it now! There was a duel."

"There was a duel," the Sycorax snapped at her. He leered at Rose dangerously. Next to her, Rose could see Lucy flinch at the corner of her eye. She ought to be scared; she had faced them down before but sure, that was with the Doctor. Not alone.

"He lost," he continued point-blank at the Time Lord sprawled on the floor. "We are taking over your planet."

'You attacked him from behind,' Rose retorted. 'That's not a duel, cowards.'

But the Sycorax ignored Rose's remarks and instead pointed to Lucy. There was a brief flash of fear on Lucy's face. "The yellow one has what we need."

Two Sycorax soldiers marched over to Lucy's side. They grabbed hold of her. Lucy struggled but to her credit, she maintained a straight face as they manhandled her. But Lucy could not help the look of disgust that crossed her face. The soldiers pulled out the mobile from the inside of her jacket.

"I want the code," the Sycorax said.

"The Earth doesn't belong to him," Rose protested. She knew he was not paying attention to her but she had to try anyway. "He was not the representative of the Earth.

The Sycorax was losing patience. "Oh, but does he not control your planet by means of metal men? All the weapons on the planet." He reached and grabbed the mobile off from the Master's body. "All controlled by this tool?"

"No!"

Rose stood her ground, trying to look as persuasive as she could as Earth's representative. "Do you know why he was trying to find me?"

The Sycorax looked bored with the conversation. "Amuse me, red one. Why did he try and find you?"

"Because I can stop him." At the look of disbelief in the Sycorax's eyes, Rose lifted her face further, gave him the coldest and most arrogant glare she could muster. She must not allow the fear that she felt, the helplessness coursing through her veins to show in her eyes. She needed to buy time.

The Sycorax leader laughed. His laughter was like a cue for the rest to join in and walls and corridors of Torchwood echoed with the laughter of the Sycorax.

"You, little one? If you can stop the Master, tell me if you can stop this?" The Sycorax Leader took out his whip, the electric whip, and cracked his whip at one of the Torchwood employees huddled on the floor. His screams were terrifying as everyone watched him being electrocuted.

The pain he suffered through was short-lived and his skeleton fell to the ground, charred. So the whip was similar to the one in her universe. A sob escaped one of the group members. Rose did not even manage to see who it was who died. Dead. Gone. Was it an unnecessary death due to her bravado? Rose could not bring herself to look at either the bones or the people huddled close to each other. She could not bear the accusatory looks they'd give her.

"Didn't stop that, did you?" the Sycorax taunted.

"You didn't have to do that," Rose said, her voice wavering slightly. "He was innocent."

"You are like cattle. I do not need for you to surrender the planet. We control your Cybermen now. We control your weapons."

"Leave this planet, or you will die here." The fury at her colleague's death crept into her voice and for a moment, whatever fear she felt melted away. "I will stop you."

"How?"

Alarms blared in Torchwood Control. The Sycorax looked at each other in confusion. Rose nearly jumped at the sound but maintained control. It was a dangerous game she was playing and stakes were high.

"What is the meaning of this!?" the Sycorax leader bellowed. His footmen looked at each other confusedly.

It was, surprisingly enough, Lucy who spoke. "It's Torchwood's alert system. It alerts us when an unknown alien technology is used on the planet."

Nothing Lucy could have said could have made Rose smile as widely as she did now. Mickey had done it. When Rose spoke, she spoke with pure confidence and to an extent, a certain amount of vitriol.

"You hear that. That is the sound of the Archangel Network going down. That is the work of Torchwood. The Torchwood I represent. You no longer have any control of the Cybermen."

"What?" roared the Sycorax Leader.

He barked to his subordinates in Sycoraxic and they rushed to computers, smashing their thick fingers to get them to work. On the screens, pictures from all over the world streamed through the computers of Torchwood, showing the satellites of the Archangel Network blinking off before plummeting from the skies, burning on entry.

Outside of the Torchwood building, there was an explosion. There were screams and gunfire, chanting of "Delete, delete, delete" interspersed with the buzzing of electricity. It was the start of a new Cyberwar.

Rose closed her eyes momentarily, praying that her decisions were the correct ones, that she did not inflict a greater amount of pain on the human race. When she opened her eyes, she saw the Sycorax Leader whipping out his electric whip and the next thing Rose knew, the whip was collared around her neck.

Rose fell to her knees as she began to choke. She began to pull against the tight hold of the whip, struggling against the pressure. That was when the low hum began, and the pain as electricity poured through the whip and into Rose's body.

Rose was not sure if she screamed. She might have, but she remembered seeing sparks.

"The yellow one. Tell me the codes to your weapon or she dies," the Sycorax threatened.

Even through the haze of pain, she could see Lucy falter. She so much wanted to say, don't do it. Let her die here.

But Lucy was unused to seeing so much death and destruction around her. Even though she had attached herself to the Master, with the Master she was distant and removed from the pains of war. Now, being subjugated over and over with death and destruction, Lucy faltered.

"Stop!" Lucy screamed. She put her hands to her head. "The code is 251209," she whispered hoarsely. "Don't kill her, please. No more. We surrender."

The hum of the electricity stopped, and the coil of the whip around Rose's neck loosened. Rose collapsed on the floor, coughing and choking. Lucy rushed to Rose's side, tears streaming down her face as she helped Rose up.

"Let this be a lesson to you cattle, do not challenge the Sycorax!" he said menacingly. On Lucy's phone, he punched in the codes.

"Warning, launch codes activated," echoed a mechanical voice. "Launch in T-10, 9, 8…"

"Stop the launch," Rose said, her voice scratchy from the strangulation.

"I can't," Lucy whispered, the horror evident in her eyes. "I've condemned the planet."

"One. Launch activated for regions alpha, beta…"

Lucy began to weep quietly, and the group of humans held each other as the thousands of nuclear missiles were launched from its base to different parts of the planet. The Sycorax began to laugh again but Rose could not hear it.

The room had grown silent. The movement of every being in the room had slowed down but Rose could hear a rush of movement, a rush of sound from the beatings of the hearts of every living being in the room. Each of her senses heightened, the smell of fear and death permeating strongly. Blood and power.

And there was the singing. Rose felt herself going under. The song enveloped her until she was barely aware or conscious of those around her.

***

Here was Rose once more, seated on the soft-as-velvet apple grass of New New York. Rose smiled. It was in New New York where she had one of her fondest memories of the Doctor. It was here they just lay down on the grass, bathing in the sunlight. She remembered wishing if they could just be like this forever.

Rose was alone though. But funnily, she didn't mind. She didn't feel alone. The world was silent but Rose felt abuzz with life. She could feel stars bursting into life and then dying with a whimper. The movement of atoms, the dance of the electrons and songs of planets and stars. She could hear and see them all. She saw day collapse into night, and night give birth to day. And she was getting giddy from it all.

"Rose."

Rose wondered if this was what the Doctor felt as a Time Lord. There was a time when all this used to hurt. Now, Rose could lose herself to the song of Time and stay this way forever. There was no loneliness, just peace.

"Rose."

Rose opened her eyes. Hovering over her was the Doctor. No, it was the Tardis, taking the shape of the Doctor.

Rose smiled. "It's you."

The Tardis shaped as the Doctor shrugged with a smile. "Yes, it's me. Well, not quite me."

"Just a shape I'm familiar with," Rose said.

The Doctor nodded.

Rose sat up as the Doctor sat down next to her.

"The Bad Wolf has taken over your body, Rose," said the Doctor.

Rose nodded. "I know."

The Doctor looked surprised. "You knew? I had assumed she had gone all kamikaze on you and taken over."

"I made a choice. I'd let the Bad Wolf live and Rose die, if the world could be saved. Mickey would not be able to disable the satellites on time, and with the rockets going off…" Rose's voice trailed off. She smiled. "But now that you're here, it means that I'm not dead."

The Doctor shook his head.

"How?"

The Doctor smiled. "The Time Vortex on its own is not sentient. It's just energy, raw energy of time and space. It does not live. The Time Vortex and Rose together - now that is the Bad Wolf."

Rose took a deep breath and thought about the times she saw the Bad Wolf on its own. "But it lives," Rose countered. "I've seen her. Walking about. The Bad Wolf couldn't be me. I would remember."

"The conscious Rose does not remember," the Doctor corrected. "The conscious Rose hides here when the Time Vortex comes to fore," he continued waving around. "This is your safe place, where your conscious mind hides and protects itself when things get a little hairy.

"The Time Vortex requires a mind to direct its energy," the Doctor continued gently. "When the conscious Rose has run away, the Bad Wolf reaches for — "

"The subconscious," Rose said quickly. Rose swallowed, the realization slowly dawning upon her. She laughed mirthlessly. "Each time I hear the song, I hear the power of the Time, I thought I was letting go. I thought the Bad Wolf was another entity."

The Doctor shrugged. "To an effect, she is another entity. The Bad Wolf functions on your unconscious. Your basic wants and desires. She functions on your instinct. But the key word here is you. Your basic wants. Your desires. Your instinct."

Rose listened and interned all of the Doctor's words. If what the Doctor was saying was true, it meant —

"Four years ago. I was on a space station. There was a song and that was when the Bad Wolf first appeared. I could not remember much," Rose began, talking out the logic through. "When I came to, the Doctor was dying and the Daleks were dead."

The Doctor nodded.

"Each time I tried to remember, it always sort of left me. I thought it was the Doctor's doing. It wasn't, was it? I did it. I shut down so that I couldn't see so that I didn't have to deal with what I did." Rose looked away. "But if I allow myself to access my memory…"

The Doctor nodded.

Tears filled in Rose's eyes as the memories start trickling back to her consciousness of a time that was long forgotten. The tears fell and she couldn't stop. She destroyed an entire race; she had blood on her hands.

"And I could be doing it again, right now. At this very moment." Rose wiped the tears from her eyes, biting her bottom lip forcing the memories away, locking them. "Why does it have to hurt?" she whispered.

"The universe always does," replied the Doctor. "That's why he tried to heal it."

***

When Rose opened her eyes, she could immediately feel the pain and the throbbing of the Time Vortex as it coursed through her veins. She could see the men and women in the room, trembling at her power. She could feel and taste their fear, hear each and every person's heartbeat. Feel the confusion of the Sycorax and their panic and rage.

Rose could feel the spinning of the Earth, the sun in the air, every atom and every molecule. She could feel herself going under again, the call to her safe place beckoning. But she held on, steadfast.

Rose could hear the Bad Wolf speak. She spoke about the destruction, the addiction to destruction the Sycorax wanted. With a wave of her hand, the rockets and missiles meant to destroy the planet vanished, leaving in its wake, ashes floating in the wind.

The Bad Wolf turned its attentions to the Sycorax. Rose realized with horror what the Bad Wolf was about to do. She had to stop the Bad Wolf before she destroyed the Sycorax, dematerialize the entire race out of its existence. She shouted and screamed but her voice was drowned by the singing of the Time Vortex. Her body moved not out of her own volition. The real Rose Tyler remained asleep whilst her unconscious controlled the events as it unfolded.

Stop, please, Rose begged. Stop!

The Bad Wolf stopped. Rose breathed hard. Was it possible that the Bad Wolf could finally listen to her? Could she finally gain control of her body and senses.

The Bad Wolf smiled. Rose could sense what the Bad Wolf sensed. The Master.

The Bad Wolf turned and faced the Master. The Master stood at the corner of the room, where he once lay on the floor. He was not dead.

"What are you supposed to be?" Rose could hear the Master ask.

"I am the Bad Wolf."

"No, really? What are you?" he asked.

The Bad Wolf smiled. "I looked into the Tardis. The Tardis looked into me."

The Master chuckled bitterly. "Figures. What are you going to do? Punish me? Destroy me the same way you destroyed those rockets?"

"I can give life. You may die. Harold Saxon can live."

Rose watched the myriad of emotions cross the Master's face. Surprise. Amusement. Bitterness. As much as she'd loath to admit it, if the Bad Wolf could bring back Harry…

The glow of the Bad Wolf diminished a little. "You are the last of the Time Lords. And it is death you seek. Shall I bestow it for you?"

The Master smiled a bitter smile. "Death is a gift."

"And death you shall receive."

The Master's face remained blank and emotionless as the Bad Wolf doled out her gift. He grinned before closing his eyes, tilting his head to the sky, arms wide open, welcoming death.

The Master was smooth; he was almost as good as the Doctor when it came to hiding his emotions. But Rose had traveled with the Doctor for a long time, for her to know when someone hid their emotions. Rose saw a flash of despair right before he closed his eyes.

No, she would not let him die. She would not make that choice.

"No!" she shouted and Rose was shocked to hear that the voice was her own and not the ethereal voice of the Time Goddess. Rose raised her hand and was relieved to find her body was responding to her. She was in her own body again; the Bad Wolf had retreated to the recesses of her mind.

The exhaustion filled Rose immediately and she collapsed to her knees. Her breathing was ragged and Rose could feel that she was losing consciousness. She cast an eye towards the Master. Shock was evident on his features. Perhaps she made a mistake, saving a madman.

She would not be the one to choose who shall live or die. She gave the Master a meek smile.

The Sycorax barked something to each other. She could barely understand it, she was so tired.

The Sycorax leader marched up to her, shouting. Rose could barely keep her eyes open. There were screams around the room, panicked screams. What was going on?

"Answer me!" shouted the Sycorax. The Sycorax leader pulled out its whip and with a crack of it had the sharp line around her neck. Rose choked and her hands automatically came up to her neck and tried to pull the whip off. The exhaustion disappeared as the instinct to survive kicked in.

It all happened so quickly. Rose struggled against the rope garroted around her neck. She pulled, scrabbling around her throat, coughing and choking. And somewhere in her struggles, Rose could hear the hum of electricity and feel the static buildup within her.

She was going to die.

And as clichés went, as she teetered on the edge of death, time slowed down. The world slowed down, the world grew silent and all Rose could hear was her ragged breathing. Despite the severity of the situation, Rose could not help but wonder if her life would flash before her eyes and the white light would stream down from the ceiling to greet her to heavens beyond. Would the light be the same colour in this universe?

A flash of orange and a burst of ozone saturated the air and time returned to normal again. The world came back to the fore, loud and forceful. The whip around Rose's neck went slack and Rose pulled against the rope forcefully and scrabbled away from the Sycorax.

The Sycorax did not protest. Rose watched the fallen Sycorax's features twist from anger to shock before settling on agony. But even that emotion did not last long as the Sycorax's eyes rolled into his eyes and he crashed into the floor.

There were screams, presumably Rose thought from the humans witnessing the event. There were roars, this time, Rose decided, from the Sycorax. They were shocked, Rose supposed, that their leader had died.

The tips of her fingers were tingling and Rose could not feel her toes. Her throat hurt and was sore and Rose knew that the bruise would mar her neck for a few weeks as she recovered. God, as she recovered, she was given a chance to recover. She would live, thanks to -

Rose turned to look at her saviour, the Master, laser screwdriver in hand, pointed to where the Sycorax once stood. His face was steel, grim with fury. He remained standing in the pose until it seemed that he was satisfied that the Sycorax was dead enough. He looked at Rose and nodded before putting away the laser screwdriver in his coat pocket.

The Master was the last thing Rose saw before exhaustion claimed her and her world turned to darkness.


	29. Chapter 28: Land's End

_Summary: A few weeks after the events in Torchwood Control, Pete Tyler requests that Rose recommend the 'appropriate' sentencing for the Master's crimes._

**Chapter 28: Land's End**

When Rose first came down to Land's End in this universe, she was mortified. It was almost as tacky as the Land's End in her world. The beautiful landscape was dotted with tourist attractions, from a worn-down pirate ship to silly fairs.

But Mum always liked this part of England. It was peaceful, she said. Life moved at a slower pace there. And, she had said, pulling Rose aside so that Pete wouldn't be able to hear, it reminded her more of home. Their first home.

It wasn't surprising that post-the affair with the Master trying to take over the world, post- a tearful Tyler family reunion, the matriarch of the family insisted that they take a holiday, as a family to recover. Neither Rose nor Pete Tyler protested when she suggested Cornwall. It was their post-crisis recovery spot.

Despite the tackiness of the exhibitions, Land's End was not about the tourist attractions. It was the towering majestic cliffs that overlooked the sea. Rose loved walking by the dusty roads by the sea. With the sun bearing down on her, and cold winds from the sea on her face, Rose felt alive and alone as she walked. As though she was the last human on Earth. Whilst her little brother amused himself with the fairs and pirate ships, Rose would walk along the cliffs and sit by the edge and stare into the sea.

And so it became a habit. Rose would do the same every day, for a few weeks. Weeks turned into months. She knew that she should be heading back to work one of these days to Torchwood and face all the paperwork and all that was left behind.

Tomorrow, she promised herself. Tomorrow, when she was better. Tomorrow, when the past stopped hurting and she could face the future with her head held up high.

Rose could hear footsteps on the gravel. Heavy footsteps. A man. His pace was slow but determined. He stopped a few paces behind her, as though waiting for permission to approach.

"Hi, Dad," Rose said.

"Still staring at the sea, I see," Pete Tyler said. He sat down next to Rose.

Rose smiled at her dad's presence but did not turn to look at him. "It doesn't change much. The sea. Stays pretty much the same. Peaceful that way."

"Paperwork doesn't change," Pete said with a short bark of awkward laughter. Rose barely smiled. "Sorry, love. Bad attempt at a joke."

"How are things at Torchwood?" Rose asked the perfunctory question.

"You could come back," Pete suggested hopefully.

Rose's smile was non-committal.

Pete continued on talking. "The paperwork for the Master's time took quite a bit. Took us a good two months to file and document things in order. Documenting how the Master took control of Torchwood and the Cybermen. Eyewitness statements. Trawling through his plans. He's madder than Lumic. Half the things he wrote however, were in a language none of our alien language experts could decipher." Pete paused.

Rose knew what he was getting at. "Just send it to me, I'll try and have a look at it. Although if he wrote it in Gallifreyan, I wouldn't be able to decipher it."

Pete nodded. "The only thing missing now is an interview with the Master and an eyewitness statement from you. I said it'll be sorted when you get back to work."

Rose had heard some of the taped eyewitness statements. The CCTV had gone bust and even Lucy's statement was sketchy at best. Even Pete himself could not really remember what happened at Torchwood Control. Most of the staff reported a bright light and then all the rockets disappeared. Decimated, no traces of them were left. The most coherent of the eyewitnesses remembered the Bad Wolf but even she was unsure of what it meant.

Rose did not know how they could have forgotten the events or were made to forget, but either way, Rose was thankful that she did not have to explain to Torchwood about the Bad Wolf.

Pete had his eye trained on her, and Rose felt a little uncomfortable under his gaze. She knew he wanted an explanation and who better than from his most experienced field agent.

"Tomorrow," Rose mumbled. "I'll get back to work tomorrow."

"That's what you've been saying for the past two weeks, sweetheart," Pete Tyler said not unkindly.

"I know. I'm not trying to avoid work. I'm just trying to…" Rose's voice trailed off.

"Coming in to resign from Torchwood?" Pete asked gently.

Rose could not keep the surprise away from her face. "What? No!" She studied Pete Tyler's concerned features and a smile graced her own. For an odd reason, the thought of her resigning from Torchwood amused her. She had not once entertained the thought of resigning.

"What gave you that idea?" Rose asked.

Pete gave her a look. Rose held up her head in mock defense. "Sorry, sorry. Stupid question."

They sat together in comfortable silence for a while.

"How is…" Rose was unsure if she could continue.

"The Master? Mickey said you'd be asking." Pete said.

Rose felt a slight flash of irritation at Mickey. She would have thought that he'd known better than to go running after her dad.

"He's just worried about you," Pete defended, his tone a little sharp. His expression softened before he continued. "We all are."

Rose did not answer.

"The Master's fine. All things considered. Doesn't say a word. Mostly stares into the CCTV."

"Hasn't tried to escape yet?"

"Should we be expecting that?"

Rose gave her father a wry smile. "Dad, he's a genius beyond our comprehension. He comes from a race that had an advanced civilization when we were just atoms in comparison!"

"Not much of a civilization if they're all dead," Pete said pointedly.

Rose ignored his remark. "Point is, if he had wanted to escape, he would have done so anytime. He could have hidden, fled the planet, hell, destroyed it if he'd wanted to. But he didn't."

"Suppose it probably has something to do with saving you."

Of all things, every single eyewitness in Torchwood, including the Sycorax who were willing to speak, spoke about how the Master valiantly saved Rose. And after Rose had passed out, he had apparently just stood there and had given up.

"Suppose," Rose conceded.

"Going through the papers, he was obsessed with you," Pete mused. "Spent all that time looking for you while you, um…" Pete paused again, his eyes looking upwards as he chose his next words carefully. "Fast-forwarded in time."

"Possibly remnants of Harry Saxon left in him," Rose conjectured.

Pete shrugged.

"How are you going to deal with him?" Rose asked.

Pete sighed. "I don't know. We were hoping that you would be able to give a recommendation."

It was the answer that Rose knew was coming. And it was also the very task Rose was avoiding.

"It's not like we know how to deal with a renegade Time Lord," Pete continued.

Last she checked, the words TIME LORD EXPERT were not emblazoned on her forehead. Or it was and she was the only who could not see it.

"He won't die, if we tried to kill him?" Pete asked.

It disturbed Rose the way her dad spoke about death. Pete spoke about death and destruction matter—of-factually. The long years of battling Cybermen, Pete had confided in her once, and he had forgotten what it meant to be kind.

"He would just regenerate. He could run out of regenerations after a point, I suppose, but that would be needlessly cruel and merciless."

"Respectfully, Rose, I disagree with you, but that's one of the reasons why we have you on board," Pete reminded. Pete studied Rose. "You and him," Pete began slowly. "Was there something going on between the two of you?" he asked awkwardly.

Rose paused to consider the question. "Before he was the Master."

Pete looked at her with a mixture of concern and pity. The same look he frequently gave her when she first lost the Doctor. He put his hand around and pulled her close before dropping a kiss on her head. Rose hugged her father back.

"We'll deal with the Master when you're ready," Pete said. "You can take your time."

Rose nodded.

Pete Tyler sighed as he got up. "I'm going to say hello to Mum and Tony, alright? I won't be over for dinner." Pete's smile was wan. "I'll see you guys over the weekend."

Rose nodded. "Bye, Dad."

Rose watched as Pete Tyler walked off towards the fair where Tony could not get enough of the fairs. As she turned her attention back on the sea, she noticed Pete had stepped on some wild flowers growing by accidentally. Rose hesitated before reaching back into the recesses of her mind to where the song resided. She waved her hand over the flowers, and the wilted and broken flowers began to spring back to life, repairing the damage from Pete's shoes.

_I bring life._

Rose stopped herself, and the flowers wilted back, its leaves and little branches broken and torn again.

Let the world think it was about the Master. Rose was going to stare at the sea for a while.

***  
Two weeks later, Rose was back at Torchwood. Her fellow colleagues were polite enough to enquire about her health and well-being and certainly smart enough to avoid questions about the Master. She reckoned Mickey's overprotective hovering had a lot to do with it.

Back in Torchwood, and she was dealing with some alien activity. Most of them were relatively minor: misbehaving aliens shoplifting, that sort of thing. No major alien invasion. Sol 3 was recovering, and it would be a while before the aliens attempted anything major.

***

Rose whiled her time with paperwork in the office. Sometimes she would not come to work at all; she would meet up with Martha. For UNIT's perspective was the excuse she put down on her work.

They met in Café Turtle, their usual coffee spot which seemed to have miraculously survived the Master's invasion. But it was not like they just spent time gossiping; they worked, discussing total estimated death, assessing the destruction the Master wrecked on the planet.

It was the out-of-Torchwood, away-from-the-Master experience that Rose needed.

"Rumours in the upper echelons of UNIT is that Pete Tyler's daughter will be the one recommending the Master's punishment," Martha said as she stirred her tea as Rose arranged through the papers on the table.

"The years fighting Cybermen have hardened Torchwood," Rose replied somewhat gloomily. "When I first came in, I fought with the way they handled their alien prisoners."

"Well, Torchwood had a reputation."

The smile Rose gave Martha was bitter. "Torchwood thought UNIT was too soft. But, well, things are changing."

Martha smiled in sympathy. "The Brigadier had heard of what you did. If ever Torchwood gets too much, UNIT has a door open for you."

"Thanks but no, thanks." Rose smiled again but she couldn't muster a more grateful smile for Martha. She was far too tired from constructing a case for the Master. She sighed and thought it was best to get back to business.

"You were on the front lines," Rose said. "What did you think?"

Martha took a deep breath, remembering. Her eyes looked distant. "You've been traveling with the Doctor, you remember how bad it gets?"

Rose nodded.

"At the risk of sounding like I'm speaking on his behalf, it…" Martha seemed to struggle to find the right words. Taking a sip of her tea, she tried again. "It could have been worse," she finished lamely.

Rose released the breath she didn't realize she was holding. She couldn't hold her gaze on Martha; instead, she lowered it and took comfort in the numbers and interviews in front of her. Finally, she looked up and said, "I know."

***

It was disturbing on how regal the Master composed himself to be despite the bright orange overalls Torchwood decked their prisoners in and the black eye he was sporting, courtesy of Torchwood. He cackled madly. He was far less sane than she remembered he was yet, Rose found herself admiring his strangely stately demeanor. Rose found herself hoping that he was somehow certifiably insane and that would mean all they'd have to do is just lock him up in the dungeons of Torchwood and throw the key away.

As she watched the Master hum and sing, his fingers tapping on the table, she idly penned down in her notes, "Criminally insane, perhaps?" but put her pen down before she could write any more recommendations. By whose standards? Human standards? What if Weevils roaming around were mostly certifiable insane from whatever Weevil planets, Weevil came from.

"They're not insane. Weevils are as they are. They attack because they get fascinated."

Rose nearly jumped out of her skin when the Master spoke. His words were calm and serene.

His lips quirked upwards, a small smile and the insanity that gleamed in his eyes a few seconds earlier having faded away.

"That was very rude," Rose snapped.

The Master shrugged. "I wasn't listening in." He tapped the side of his head. "You were broadcasting."

Rose kept her face blank as she doodled. Forgetting her psychic training for a second. She felt like a sulking teenager but she was not going to satisfy him with an answer.

The Master tapped a rhythm on the interview table. He stopped suddenly, putting his handcuffed hands on his lap. He tilted his head as he stared at her.

"If you're offended I read your mind, might I suggest that you not think so loudly," he purred. He stared at her, directly into her eyes. She could feel his gaze pierce through her, right into her soul and memories.

Rose felt increasing uncomfortable being around the Master. She took a deep breath to steady herself. She was a professional. She could do this.

"Torchwood does not make unilateral decisions when it comes to punishment and sentences given to our prisoners of war," Rose began. "My name is Rose Tyler and I will be your advocate, anything you say will be used to help our decision making process."

The words felt empty as she spoke. The Master did not respond, merely continued humming and tapping the rhythm on the table.

When he did speak, his voice reverberated with slight despair. "Whether to kill me or freeze me, Rose Tyler?"

Rose's insides froze. When he was not babbling or insulting her, the Master remained eerily similar to Harold Saxon. At this very moment, his eyes reflected the quiet uncertainty of Harold Saxon, the mannerisms of the man who clumsily tried to win her heart. And succeeded.

"It's just a story, Rose," Martha had said. "Harold Saxon isn't real."

"What would the Time Lords do?" she asked quietly.

Harold Saxon disappeared. It was the Master once more, the eyes were cold and his lips pressed together to form a cold, callous smile.

"Destroy me," he said. "Shove me in my Tardis, dematerialize me, put me to death, as though I had never existed. Did that to me once, putting me to death. Brought me back for the war. Had they won, would have probably done the same."

Rose didn't mean to but her breathed hitched somewhere within the chest. The Master could have easily been lying but Rose did not think so. She could imagine the Time Lords putting the Master to death, the occasional callousness of the Doctor reminded her how inhumane he could be. She shuddered to think of how the other Time Lords could be.

"The numbers do not look very kindly on your…" Rose struggled to find the appropriate word. "The prognosis of your case. If we could explain the reasons on why you could do so or if there is a planet…"

"I really do not think Pete Tyler would take kindly to banishment. Trust is lacking here in Torchwood," the Master replied, waving his handcuffed hands and slamming them on the table. Rose jumped up of her chair, in shock, and the interrogation room door burst open with half a dozen Torchwood agents rushing in, armed, with guns pointed at the Master. One of the agents had taken upon himself to knock the Master down to the ground.

"Are you alright, Miss Tyler?" said one of the agents pointing the gun to the Master's temple.

"I'm fine."

Rose adjusted her hair, a nervous habit. "Stand down, please," Rose repeated.

The agents looked a little reluctant but stood down at Rose's request.

"Miss Tyler, I do not think it's a wise idea," one of the agents argued.

Tom, was his name, Rose noted. She could argue with him that it was never a wise idea harassing an alien a thousand times more intelligent than they were, who so far had been cooperative.

"If I'm in need of help I will duly inform you." With a nod, she dismissed the agents. It took a minute longer before the agents brought their weapons down. One of the agents, the one who hit him, yanked him up from the floor and shoved him onto the chair. With a glare to the Master, he shuffled out of the room.

"Your men are so obedient," the Master commented. He used his hands to wipe away the blood trickling from his brow.

"They're itching to put a bullet in you and help you regenerate." She sat back down. With the barest of a smile gracing Rose's features, she said, "Play nice."

"You're trying to protect me?"

Rose shuffled her papers, decidedly more and more uncomfortable in the Master's presence. He leered, she could almost see the little clockwork and machines in his head as he surmised what she said.

"15,000 people dead," Rose began. "Indirectly attributed to your attempts at world domination."

"In some states, your primitive planet, one is enough to warrant the death penalty." But with the remark, the Master in control of his senses disappeared again. He began to tap on the table, humming softly a tune. Rose shuddered, she recognized the tune. The Doctor would hum it whilst he worked on the Tardis, a lullaby, he said. A lullaby from a planet that did not exist anymore.

"Directly related were a lot smaller…" Rose's voice trailed off when she realized the Master was not listening.

"Don't you hear it, Rose?" he asked with a sense of wonderment. "The drums. The call to war." He paused. "The Time Lords couldn't hear it. Pompous senators in their silly robes. Standing aside till they died," he said quietly.

The rhythm he tapped on the table accelerated in speed. Harry used to tap the same rhythm. Nervous habit, he had insisted. Who would have thought that parts of the Time Lord would trickle through to his consciousness?

"But they're all gone now. All that's left is me."

The moment of insanity disappeared and in his eyes, the glint of the Master returned. Rose shuddered.

"How do you deal with the last of the Time Lords? What would be the most humane thing to do?"

Rose flinched again at his words. She thought of the Doctor, her Doctor and with the surprise that broke on the Master's face, too late she realized that he was actually trying to read her and she didn't protect her thoughts. Basic psychic training that she forgot to do.

"Theta is dead. You have his Tardis."

"He's gone."

"You're thinking of your Doctor."

The conversation was spiraling into a territory she was not comfortable discussing with a maniacal Time Lord.

"We will discuss this later. I have to get back to work." Rose snapped shut her files, and briskly packed them away.

The Master looked as though he was about to question her further on the Doctor but he changed his tact. "Why do you humans amuse yourself with silly little rituals? Rituals such as a fair trial and punishment when you are creatures thirsty for blood? It is my blood Torchwood wants."

"Death is not a gift I will bestow," Rose snapped. "It's inhumane."

The Master lunged forward and grabbed her hand. "But I'm not human," he leered.

Their eyes met and for that split second, Rose felt as though she was drowning. She could see, planets engulfed in flames and fire. Screams of a thousand men, women and children. Millions in pain. She saw a man with soft eyes and a sad face, the Doctor, she recognized at war.

The Time War. So many thoughts and memories.

And then there were the drums. The pounding drums, loud and menacing. Seducing the Master to war with promises that when the drums have their wishes fulfilled, the drumming will end.

As soon as it started, it ended. The Torchwood agents had burst into the room again and pulled the two apart from each other, agents shielding Rose behind them and the others, yanking the Master of his chair, face down on the ground and a strong sharp kick to his side. The Master curled on the floor in pain.

There were screams, "Get down!" and threats of death if he moved, and shouts wondering if she was alright. Rose ignored them and rushed to the table to pick up her things and leave the interrogation room. It was too much too soon. Rose scooped up all her papers, some falling as she stacked them but she did not stop to pick them up. She had to leave the room.

But she could hear, the Master's cackled glee, his laughter distorted by the pain he must feel from the brutal kick by one of her agents.

"And neither are you!" he shouted. There were some other things he shouted but Rose did not stop to listen.

She did not return again for a few more weeks.


	30. Chapter 29: The Offer

_A/N: Happy V-Day everyone! _

_Summary: Rose makes her recommendation_

**Chapter 29: The Offer**

Rose took a deep breath. She had thought about this over and over, running through various scenarios in her mind. Each time she had been sure that it was the right time to see him, standing in front of this door, she would chicken out.

It had been two weeks since their last encounter. A week ago, the Master had casually escaped out of Torchwood's highest security cell and was found seated in Pete Tyler's office watching DVDs that he had hidden. It was the Teletubbies.

He did not protest when they led him away. Nor did he fight back when Torchwood gave him a beating that they hoped he would remember. Not a sound escaped his lips as they tried to pound the life out of him.

But the damage, as they say, was done. The message the Master intended was sent across quite clearly — Torchwood was reminded that they were not in control of the Master; the circumstances of his imprisonment were controlled by him.

The Master was kept under a twenty-four hour watch since, but for the most part, he behaved. He tormented some of his guards with futile death threats, he sang whatever pop song that suited his fancy at that point, or he would stare, unblinking at the CCTV.

He was waiting for her.

She had been meaning to see him. But seeing him meant coming face to face with her own demons.

It was time, though. She spoke to her father about her intentions a few nights before. Needless to say, Pete was not at all happy and was seconds away from ordering the Master's death regardless of what Rose thought about it.

She convinced him that this was a Time Lord, a mad one at that. He wouldn't stop. And he would regenerate.

Pete had eventually calmed down but refused to speak to her for a while. Rose kept to her ground and eventually Pete came around to what she was about to do.

What she was about to do. Either it was the smartest thing that she needed to do, the most delusional, or the most selfish. Either way, it was the only thing that she wanted to do.

Rose took a deep breath as she opened the door. The Master looked pleased when she entered. He looked so strange dressed in a prison jumpsuit, quite a change from the black suit and tie he usually wore.

Rose sat down in front of him, in the interrogation room. There were two way mirrors and Mickey and Jake were standing behind one of them, alongside heavy Torchwood security, ready to pounce if the Master did anything.

He grinned at her. "Missed you."

"Well, yeah. Missed you too," Rose replied dispassionately. The Master tried to raise his hands to wave but his hands were cuffed. He looked at her, hopeful.

Rose rolled her eyes and took out a key from her pocket. Motioning for his cuffs, Rose unlocked it. If the Master was surprised, he did not show it. Rubbing his hands, he stretched his hands behind his back to relax.

"Are you going to return my screwdriver to me?"

"Nope," Rose replied, popping her p's.

"You're no fun. What, are you worried I'm going to kill somebody? Kill you?"

Rose smiled a little at that suggestion. "The Sycorax would have done that for you. I never actually thanked you for saving me."

"Don't mention it."

Silence fell between the two. The Master stretched again but this time, he started drumming with his fingers on the table between them. Harry frequently did the same, when he was distracted. Harry, oh, poor Harry!

"Why did you save me?" she finally asked.

The Master stopped his drumming and paused to consider her question. "Do you hear it? The drums," he asked. "Even with the vortex in your head, do you not hear it?"

Rose shook her head. "I hear," she started. "I hear singing," Rose finished lamely.

"Singing?"

Rose looked away from the Master. "I still hear it sometimes. I hear Time singing to me. The Universe singing."

"Does it not bother you?" He continued to drum his fingers on the table

"No," Rose said, before adding, "there was this one time when I had just started as a Torchwood operative. I was just dealing with a Weevil, got a bit too close for comfort, yeah? Anyway, it was about to swipe my face off when I heard this singing. Next thing, I know, it was on the ground."

"Dead?" the Master asked, fascinated.

"Well, apparently, some of the Torchwood operatives swear that I managed to move out of the way and knock him out."

The Master nodded sagely.

"Why did you save me?"

"So did you really take in the vortex to save your Doctor?" the Master asked, ignoring her question.

Rose glared at him. "Yes,"

"And you're stuck here."

"Yes."

The Master stopped the drumming. "It comes and goes. Less when you were around. Thought it might have been a coincidence, but now that you've mentioned the singing-"

"The singing?"

The Master pursed his lips in thought. "I could hear a song whenever you were around. I thought it was just a remnant of old Harry here," the Master said, tapping his chest around where his heart or hearts might be. "The human thing, being in love and all that."

Rose's breathing hitched at the mention of Harry but the Master continued on. "I had thought if I could hear your song, you could have heard the drums."

Rose shook her head.

"Can you hear it? The drumming, I thought it would stop. But it never does. But with you…"

"With me?" Rose was more than a little confused.

"The song mutes it a little," The Master laughed. "But it still plays, still keeps on going. And going."

Silence fell between the two. Rose could hear her heart beating fast. It was now or never. "Let me help you," Rose implored passionately. The Master's reaction to her plea could only be described as disbelief.

Rose made a signal for the other Torchwood operatives to leave. As they had discussed earlier, only Mickey would remain behind the glass windows, in case the Master would turn on her, which Rose highly doubted he would.

"We have the Tardis," Rose continued fervently. "We can travel the universe, we can find a way to stop the drumming."

"And you as my faithful companion?" the Master spat, seeing anger in his eyes for the first time. Rose ignored him.

"The universe needs a Time Lord," she pleaded.

"The universe needs a Master to correct things."

"You survived for a reason!" Rose shouted, her voice rising unexpectedly. The Master showed a little surprise but eventually his face lit up.

"He talked to you, didn't he? The Doctor did. I thought the old boy was dead."

"He is," Rose snapped icily. "But if he said that this was something I had to do, then I would do it."

"The faithful companion," the Master mused dryly. "Faithful even to this universe's Doctor. To my Doctor."

Rose did not answer him; she kept her gaze trained on the Master, willing him to challenge her.

"Why isn't your Doctor here to rescue you?"

Rose's resolve finally cracked a little. Her voice wavered as she spoke. "He can't. It'd tear the universe apart if he tried."

There was a moment of silence between the two. It was the Master who finally spoke. "I'd do it," he said. "I'd rip the universe apart for you."

Rose had wondered so often, the difference between the two. Both were irreverently childish for creatures so old. Both were passionate and both were desperate to travel the universe. There were other differences, though: one sought to heal and the other sought to own.

But it was in the more minute differences that caught her. The Doctor was afraid to share and to open to her. Afraid to say how he'd feel. The Master was more open.

"Um… well, I suppose I'll leave you to think about it," Rose said, starting to make her move to leave.

"Why this offer?"

_Because the universe needs a Time Lord. Because I can't leave you running around on this planet, potentially causing destruction. Because I can't order your death because you look like the man I loved. Because I'm selfish and I have that chance of seeing the universe again. Because I can run away from this planet where every step and place reminds me of the Doctor. Because I believe in you and that everyone should be given a second chance. Because the Doctor believed in you._

"Because I've never been to Barcelona," Rose finally said. "The planet, not the city."

The Master grinned. "The dogs have no noses."

Rose smiled her first genuine smile since forever and laughed.


	31. Epilogue

_A/N: And so we've come to the end. I just want to acknowledge and commend my superb beta-reader and best friend, nike_z1 for working with me on this one. A big hug and thank you for helping me out, pushing me to write better, work harder.  
_

_And a big thank you so much to all of you who commented! It's a source of encouragement for me, and believe me, on days when I'm feeling particularly low, I read your comments to lift my spirits. A big shout-out has to go out to some of you who commented almost on every chapter. I'm really grateful to all of you! But on with the show.  
_

**Epilogue**

The Tardis door was open. The Master was inside, tinkering with the Tardis. The Tardis had been a little cautious with the Master at first before accepting his presence. Perhaps she missed the company of a Time Lord as well.

Rose had her hands in her leather jacket. She could hear him working on the old girl. The Tardis was almost as run-down as the one she knew of in her universe. With the way the Master was humming away as he worked on the Tardis, one could almost say he was happy. Happy and oblivious to the heartache that the small group of humans outside felt over Rose's imminent departure.

Rose dug her heels on the ground, feeling the Earth's movement beneath her trainers. Some days she allowed herself to feel the momentum from Earth's rotation; she felt awed and humbled by the vigour of the universe. Today, however, she needed to focus on something else. Dressed in jeans and a bright top, she was almost a mirror image of the time when she travelled with the Doctor except a little more grown up now. She shrugged her shoulders a little self-consciously at the small farewell party.

"We're ready to go," the Master called out from inside the Tardis.

Jackie's shoulders fell at his words. Tony was holding her mum's hand very tightly. He might not have understood what was going on, but Rose knew that Tony knew she was leaving them. Pete had his arm around Jackie's shoulders protectively. Mickey was fuming, his eyes dark and angry, but he kept his words to himself. Jake did not say anything; his face was impassive. Martha looked at the Tardis and at the skies above longingly.

"Don't go, sweetheart." Jackie begged.

Her mother's eyes were weary, with dark circles from the fear and worry of her only daughter running off with an alien. Except that this time round, the alien was actually a lot more hostile than the one she slapped around in her living room.

"Oh, Mum. I'll be alright. It's a time machine and I'll be back in about ten seconds after I leave," Rose said, smiling. But her words were not as optimistic as they were before. She might not come back, she might die. He might betray her.

But everyone left home after a while.

The Master stepped outside the Tardis, leaning on its blue wooden panels. Sometimes, Rose would forget that he was the Master, would think of him as Harry. But as Tony held onto Jackie's leg tightly and stared at the Master, Rose knew it was not the same for everyone else. Jackie had complained that he still had nightmares from the ordeal with the Master.

She had told him countless stories about traveling the universe and after the ordeal with the Master, she hoped that Tony would forgive his sister for running away with the same man that tormented him in his dreams.

"Okay, it won't be ten seconds. But I promise I'll try and call as often as I can." Rose held up her mobile. It had taken her ages to convince him to do the same jiggery-pokery that the Doctor had done for her years ago. He had given in begrudgingly. "Super phone. Nothing to stop me from calling."

Rose hugged her mother tightly. She could feel her mother's hot tears streaming down onto her neck. She had to bite her lip hard to stop her own tears from forming. She moved down to hugging Tony, to avoid her mum seeing the tears in her eyes. "You be a good boy for Mum, kay?" Tony nodded.

"I'll be fine," she assured her mother. Turning to Pete, her dad, she hugged him tightly. Pete looked as devastated as Jackie was. "You can call me, for any of Torchwood's emergencies. I'll come back."

Pete merely nodded. He turned to the Master, his voice was low and threatening. "If you hurt her, I don't know how I'm going to do it but I'm going to find you and hurt you."

The Master put up his hands in mock surrender and was about to retort when he caught Rose's warning glance. It was Harry Saxon that answered Pete, and not the Master.

"I won't."

Rose turned to Mickey and Jake next, her two closest friends in Torchwood and outside of Torchwood. Mickey continued to fume and refused to look at Rose. Rose reached out for Jake first.

"I'll miss you."

Jake hugged back tightly. "Miss you too. You take care."

She let go and hugged Mickey, who did not respond at first. It took him a while before Mickey finally returned the hug.

"Can never seem to go for the human ones, eh, babe?"

Rose half laughed and half sobbed. "I tried. It's not my fault if he turned out to be an alien too."

"You're cursed, Rose Tyler," he said gently, cupping her face with his hands. He leaned over and kissed her on the lips. Rose kissed back for all the years of friendship and love they'd shared together.

When they released each other, Rose noticed that the Master's face was dark and he was fingering his laser screwdriver in his hand a little too fondly. Mickey looked a little too satisfied. "You'd better take care of her!" he warned gleefully.

Rose ignored the unnecessary display of testosterone and reached for Martha next. "Come with us," she whispered to Martha. Martha hugged her back tightly before letting go. She looked at both the Master and the Tardis and shook her head. "It's much too soon."

"It'll be fun, the universe." Rose insisted.

"For one, Rose, you're traveling with a mad man who was hell-bent on taking over the planet and the universe. I know the Doctor told you that you needed to do this." Martha rolled her eyes at the mention of the Doctor. "He's not always right, you know," she intoned further, glaring at the Master, who waved back. "Secondly," Martha continued. "I have so much to do. There are still plenty of people who need help from the Cyber wars."

There was that tinge of guilt again, that she was leaving Earth when she was needed most. But Rose shook it off, remembering the Doctor's words. The Master needed her.

Martha held her hand. "Take care, Rose. If you ever need me, don't hesitate to call. And maybe when it's the sales in Moon 9 on Planet Zahara, call me."

Rose nodded. The Master had already walked into the Tardis. It was her turn to join him in this new adventure of theirs. She waved goodbye and entered the Tardis, closing the door behind her.

Rose bounced to the console, could not help but feel excited with the prospect of traveling again after staying on Earth for nearly three years. The Master was fiddling around with the console.

"Alright, what do I have to do?" she asked excitedly.

The Master looked irritated with the question. She grinned; it was almost like travelling with the Doctor, annoying him with stupid ape questions. Almost. The Master motioned towards the screen and Rose realized, he had the link to the outside switched on. Her family, Martha, Mickey, and Jake stood outside watching the blue box, their gaze filled with melancholy and trepidation. Not for the first time, Rose wondered if this was the right thing to do, that perhaps she should just leave the Master on this planet, freeze him till they figure out what they wanted to do with him.

"Barcelona as you requested?" he asked. "Lovely weather, parties going on with elections coming about."

"You're far too giving. I ought to be suspicious."

The Master put on his faux innocence face. "I've been such a good boy, Rose. No killing, no maiming. No decimation of the Earth population. Saved the world too," the Master grimaced with disgust at his words. "How could you not trust me?"

There was a reason why he survived, Rose wondered. How much of the Master was truly evil, Rose wondered.

The Master took her hand and placed it on what looked like a bicycle pump. "Hold on," he told her gleefully. "This is going to be a rough ride," he leered.

The Tardis whirred into life with a sound she thought she would never hear again in her life. Rose giggled with delight as the Tardis entered the Time Vortex. The travelling was better than before; as Rose became more in tune with the Bad Wolf, Rose became more aware of the universe, its atoms, its pulsing and its vibration. The universe came alive with the pulsation of time and life itself.

But despite it all, amidst the haze of excitement of traveling again, Rose Tyler remained vaguely aware that the Master never did let her hand go as they piloted the Tardis into space.


End file.
